The Ties of Fate
by pumpkinmoose22
Summary: Just when they thought they had a chance to celebrate their first anniversary, Lois and Clark are forced back into the past to save their younger selves from an evil who claims to be from the future. With a mission to destroy the Man of Steel in order to rid the world of future heroes, will this evil succeed or will Lois and Clark prevail? Sequel to Forever Yours and Yours Alone.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello everyone! Welcome to The Ties of Fate, the sequel to Forever Yours and Yours Alone! I would advise those who haven't read FYaYA to do so before reading its sequel as there are parts that will make more sense by so doing. To those returning to my fanfiction tales, welcome back! I hope this sequel will be just as satisfying as its original! **

**For fun, I've decided to have this story take place from Clark and Lois's point of view in first person. It's the first time I've written in a man first person POV just FYI. Should be fun. Now, on to the fic!**

Fate has often been subjected as a topic of ridicule. Yet unexplainable things tend to occur frequently in the lives of the mundane – things that lead to greater means and depths than fathomable to the human mind. And often these events are unexplained happenstance which brings nothing but joy to those who find their destinies under Fate's kind smile of fortune…

1. Rebuilt

_**Clark**_

With a burst of speed I cut through a particularly nasty storm that had decided to grace the Floridian coast. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in my ears as I barreled through the dark clouds. I closed my eyes as I felt the soothing wind in the humid atmosphere. My pleasures of enjoying nature were interrupted by a voice that had become second nature to me.

"Clark, the mayor is almost done with his speech. Now would be a really good time for you to swoop in!"

I smiled. Though I knew she wouldn't hear me, I found myself answering her anyway. "Coming, sweetheart."

Plastering my arms to my sides, I willed myself to go faster and the air erupted in a sonic boom as I directed my course towards Metropolis. Sure enough, the skyscrapers zoomed upon me in seconds and I had to slow down so as not to blow any of the structures away while I descended towards the crowd that had gathered in front of a lovely apartment complex. The building was an exact replica from my memories: a light shade of brown with an ugly green canopy over the doors and flowerboxes lining the windows on the ground floor. I smiled a little as I passed the top floor where a balcony with a small garden and white metal garden furniture caught my eye. I had to force nostalgia away in order to keep myself focused on the here and now.

"Speak of the devil," the mayor cried into the microphone.

Hundreds of eyes filled with admiration looked up at me, watching on bated breath until I touched down on the platform that had been erected in front of the apartment complex. Though the air filled with cheers and many sought my attention as I waved to the masses, my eyes landed on the most spectacular woman in the crowd: my wife, Lois Lane.

Her beautiful hazel eyes seared into my soul and a love that I couldn't even express justly with words nearly made me break my composure. The emotion I was feeling was reflected in her eyes but it went away as she smirked and jerked her chin ever so slightly to the mayor who stood beside me. I pried my eyes away from my wife – a hard thing to do since she was wearing my favorite pinstriped pencil skirt and pink blouse combination – and gave the mayor my full attention.

"Superman," Mayor Gramm declared, "a little over a year ago a tragedy occurred in this neighborhood. Behind me is the historic apartment complex where you had your first exclusive interview with the then Intrepid Reporter Lois Lane, now Mrs. Lane-Kent. As a thank you for all you have done in helping to rebuild the city after the Para-demon Pandemonium, the city of Metropolis has rebuilt this historic landmark in your honor."

I took the mayor's offered hand and shook it warmly while speaking in a loud voice, "Thank you very much, sir."

Mayor Gramm smiled and spread his arms wide. "While this complex looks like an apartment on the outside, the interior has been modified into a museum featuring Metropolis' hometown hero, the Man of Steel, and is now open to the public!"

A cheer was issued by the masses and I once again shook hands with the mayor as cameras flashed and reporters cried for my attention. I answered a few of them, a couple of questions coming from my darling wife, before deciding it was time to take to the skies. Though I wanted to get a look at the museum, I was due to look over some articles for the evening addition of the Daily Planet and even though Perry White knew my secret and was quite understanding of my sporadic lifestyle, I wasn't about to fail in the promotion he'd graced me with as Assistant Editor. Smiling warmly so as to give Jimmy a good photo for the article that Lois was sure to write, I shook the mayor's hand one last time, thanked the citizens of Metropolis, and took off.

"Thanks for the shot, CK," Jimmy muttered as I flew away.

I grinned to myself as I headed for the Daily Planet. I landed on the roof two minutes later after checking that the coast was clear. Spinning quickly on my feet, I changed into my regular Clark Kent suit and tie and placed my half-rimmed glasses on the bridge of my nose. Sighing, I smiled again as I thought of the apartment and the kind gesture behind its structure.

"I love this city," I mumbled to myself as I stooped my shoulders a bit and headed for the elevator that would take me down to the Daily Planet newsroom.

A year ago today the world had been cleansed from the tyranny of Darkseid and his para demon minions. I could hardly believe so much time had passed since then; it all felt like a blur. I was a married man with technically three children: a seven year old whom I considered one of the greatest miracles to grace my life and two teenagers, one being my long lost cousin Kara and the other being Conner, a clone made by Lex Luthor who was rescued by the Justice Alliance a little over a year ago. Lois and I had taken it upon ourselves to help my mother, Martha Kent, in raising Conner and Kara on the weekends when they would come to spend time with us and Jason in Metropolis. Conner was going to be a senior this year at Smallville High while Kara was going to be moving to England to go to college part time while working full time as a model for my childhood friend, Lana Lang's company.

Lois and I were very proud of our adopted teenagers. They turned out to be really good kids, both going into the superhero business while battling the joys of teenage life. Jason was sure to follow them in that regard though the kid was also showing great promise in becoming a journalist like his parents. I was very proud of my son. He had a tender heart and cared for others in a way that most seven year olds wouldn't. He valued human life and treated it as something sacred. Even now he tried to do everything he could to reach out and help others though Lois and I had to constantly remind him not to grow up too quickly; I ended up using the caterpillar to butterfly analogy a lot the first couple months into Lois and I's marriage.

My thoughts over my family were interrupted when the elevator dinged open and the eruption of the usual Daily Planet noise filled my ears. The smells of coffee, fresh ink, and mixtures of perfume and cologne clogged my nose the first couple of breaths but soon grew normal as I made my way towards my office. I made sure to bump into a couple of desks, trip over a chair, and even sideswipe Lombard (who cried out indignantly) before reaching the other side of the bullpen.

Perry was waiting for me with the usual scowl and twinkle in his eyes. "A little later than usual, aren't you, Kent?"

"Morning Mr. White," I said in my high pitched voice. Adjusting my glasses, I swallowed nervously. "Sorry I was late, sir, I was helping Lois cover the apartment story."

"I saw it on TV. Superman looked pretty happy."

I shrugged. "Well, I'm sure he was. It _is_ a special place to him after all."

Perry cleared his throat. "Well, I have the evening's edition on the table…let's take a look, shall we?"

"Swell," I said, nodding enthusiastically.

The old editor in chief chuckled under his breath as we walked into his office. I made sure to trip over the threshold before closing the door behind me. Instead of pressing me further about the apartment turned museum, Perry leapt right into the articles he figured would make the evening addition as well as others that would be best if reserved for tomorrow. I made a few suggestions, pushing a scandal concerning a couple crime bosses that were suspected to be working together to the morning addition and a less attractive piece of gossip to tomorrow's evening addition.

Perry looked over our work and nodded his approval. "See to it that this makes it down to the print room, Kent."

"Will do, Chi–" I froze. An explosion in Germany alerted my ears as many people cried out at once.

My panicked expression was not lost on Perry. "Forget about the paper. I'll take care of it."

"But-"

"Go, Clark!"

I didn't need telling twice. Due to the dire circumstances, I made sure no one was watching before leaping out the window, changing into my suit mid-fall. I sped off to Germany as fast as I could just as my ears picked up the steady heartbeat of my wife making her way through the bullpen. "I'll be back soon," I muttered to myself as I broke the sound barrier, flying through the clouds as a streak of blue and red.

_**Lois**_

I walked into the bullpen and immediately looked around but Clark was nowhere to be found. I tried to keep the slight disappointment off my face as I unconsciously smoothed my pink blouse and headed for my desk, sighing heavily.

"Don't worry, Lois," Jimmy said, lowering his voice, "I'm sure CK will be back before we know it."

I noticed his attention was drawn to a breaking news story from Germany. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter were on the scene, cleaning up the remains of what was suspected as a threat from France. The two countries had been on edge lately and it didn't help that the citizens weren't acting too kindly towards each other. Though the governments had not yet outright declared war, they were doing nothing to discourage their people from lashing out at each other.

"I just hope this doesn't lead to anything like Iran and Iraq again," I muttered, turning away from the television to start up my computer.

"I don't think it will come to that," came a mutter right in my ear.

I leapt out of my skin. "_Clark!_ Don't scare me like that!"

My husband took me in his arms and kissed me passionately on the lips. "Hi," he muttered, pulling away.

"Hi," I replied, dazed.

Jimmy cleared his throat beside us. Clark let go of me to shake Jimmy's hand. "Hey, Jimmy, did you get any good pictures from the new museum? Perry would like to run your best shot for the evening edition."

Jimmy smiled knowingly. "Oh, I think I got a good one and guess what? It includes Superman!"

"Great!" Clark said enthusiastically before looking a little stern. "You'd best get it printed then, Jimmy. This paper doesn't wait for anything, not even a picture of the Man of Steel. We've got less than an hour before we need to hit the pavement."

"On it, CK," Jimmy replied, rushing off with his camera in his hands.

I smirked before yanking a little on Clark's tie. "You know, you're really cute when you order people around."

Clark smiled before gracing my lips again with his. "Then you'll find this cute, dear. I need that article about the apartment complex on my desk in half an hour. Can you get it to me by then?"

I mocked thinking it over while running my hand up and down his tie. "I _could_ but that's a big demand to fill, Mr. Kent."

"It's either that or you get docked to covering the auto sale going on downtown to be viewed in Thursday's addition on page seven."

I frowned as I searched his expression; there wasn't a hint of sarcasm. I frowned, folding my arms. "I hate it when you're serious."

"I'm on a tight schedule, Lois," he said with a hint of stress.

I pursed my lips and pushed away from him, slamming myself into my chair. "You'll have your article, Mr. Kent!" I snapped.

I have to admit I was trying to get him to apologize but instead he walked off to his office as if nothing had happened. Feeling stung, I pounded on the keys in frustration, pausing only to rip my notes from my bag to make sure I got exact quotes correct. I knew I didn't have a lot of time so the article was sure to be in desperate need of editing but I trusted that Clark would be able to fix any of the mistakes in two seconds.

I couldn't believe he hadn't even said a word – not one word – about my outfit! I'd picked it out specially for the occasion – not to mention the fact that our one year anniversary was in two days and I was trying to do everything I could to make the days leading up to it memorable and special. It was I who talked the city into rebuilding the place and making it into a Superman museum. True, I'd been an anonymous caller on the suggestion hotline when the city was being reconstructed… but still! I thought Clark would have figured out that I was the one behind the grand master plan! This was my early anniversary present to him and he was acting as if he didn't care in the slightest about the whole thing! He was so concerned about making the deadline! And he hadn't even told me what happened in Germany!

Frustrated, angry, and trying miserably to write an article that would have been filled with passion if a certain_ someone_ hadn't spoiled my mood, I finished up what I had, hit print, and stalked into Clark's office. He was sitting behind his desk looking at his laptop when I came in unannounced. I slammed the article down on his desk, knocking over his pens in the process.

"There's your article, Mr. Kent!" I cried shrilly before spinning on my heel to leave.

"Lois," Clark called.

I froze in the doorway, my hand on its frame, my back straight. "Yes?" I snipped without turning around.

A pair of hands rested on my hips and spun me around. Against my will, I twisted from the force and found myself inches away from my husband. His eyes glinted mischievously from behind his spectacles and the smile I loved so dearly crossed his handsome features. He tried really hard to put on all the charm he was capable of and - darn it all! - my knees started to go weak unconsciously.

Swearing angrily, I pushed myself out of his embrace. "Don't even try to smolder me, Clark! I'm not in the mood!"

He was still smiling. "Your heart rate says otherwise, Mrs. Kent."

"Lane-Kent," I corrected.

Clark smirked.

"Don't you have an article that has to make it to the presses in less than ten minutes?" I snapped, looking at his desk. The paper was gone.

"Already taken care of," Clark said matter-of-factly.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course…well, you have your article. What further assignments could you possibly want from me?"

Clark took my hand and slowly pulled me towards him, closing his office door with his foot in the process. Before I could protest, he gently kissed my lips and softly rested his hands on either side of my hips. He did this quite often in the past whenever I was angry and deep down I was not only grateful but hopelessly attracted by the gesture. In every way it was him communicating that I had every opportunity to pull away from him if I wanted and it was my choice whether he stopped or not. In the past, on a couple of occasions, I _had_ pulled away. But most of the time, I melted like butter on hot toast in his arms five seconds after his lips connected with mine. I had three more seconds to decide whether or not this was a fight I wanted to continue.

Deciding not to pursue my anger, I allowed my arms to wrap around his neck and my lips to part so he could explore if he so wished. Of course he obliged, sliding his tongue warmly through the parted space. I moaned into his mouth and pressed myself even further up against him. He picked me up easily and set me down on his desk, leaning in further, his strong arms resting on either side of me on the tabletop. I wrapped my legs around his torso and pulled him even closer to me, sighing as he moved to kiss down my neck towards my collarbone.

"Am I forgiven yet?" he asked, his hot breath tickling my skin.

"I'm still thinking about it," I said breathlessly.

Laughing slightly, he pulled away so I could get a good view of his gorgeous blue eyes. "I appreciate all the work you put into rebuilding our apartment, Lois. It's the best one year anniversary present I could ask for." He bent forward and kissed me gently. "And I guess I should remind you that I really like the color pink."

I blushed furiously. "I thought you wouldn't notice… you looked like you were preoccupied with other things."

"I'm sorry," he admitted, "I was a little rash earlier. I was stressed with making sure we made deadline and I was having a hard time concentrating when my wife was being one heck of a distraction."

"The outfit isn't that distracting, is it?" I asked, slightly worried. I tried really hard to make Clark's life a little easier at the office; he needed to focus and it wouldn't help if I always wore things that would take his mind away from listening to the concerns of other employees.

Clark, however, smiled devilishly and whispered in my ear, "I wasn't talking about your blouse, Lois."

If possible, my face turned even redder, my heart picking up speed. I tried to regain my composure as my husband laughed softly in my ear before kissing the lobe delicately. "I didn't think it would be that big of a distraction," I hedged, my breath quickening. "Besides, I figured pink was appropriate for the occasion and you weren't supposed to peek until later!"

Clark rubbed the sides of my arms in circles with his thumbs. "I love and appreciate it all, Lois. Thank you."

I shook my head. "Oh, come here!" I ordered, grabbing his tie and kissing him again.

Clark smiled into the kiss, allowing me to shower him with affection before I felt fully satisfied and pulled away. "Feel better?" he asked.

"Uh-huh," I muttered dismissively, slipping off his desk and brushing myself off. He chuckled lightly while I patted down my hair. "Was there anything else you needed?" I asked.

Clark raised an amused eyebrow while tapping his chin. "As a matter of fact, Lois, there was one thing I needed to ask you."

"What is it?" I asked, curious, all anger gone.

"How would you like to spend the weekend with me in Hawaii?"

I gasped and flung my arms around his neck. "Oh, Clark! Really? Hawaii?!"

"Ah-huh," he said through another kiss.

"Of course!" I cried, pulling away. "But…what about Jason?"

"Already got it covered," Clark assured. "Mom's been dying to have him all to herself for a weekend. Conner and Kara have also staked a claim on taking him to England on Saturday so Richard can see him too."

I smiled. "Fair enough. What about your second job?"

"Oh, the League and the Alliance owe me a couple of favors…I figure now would be a good time to cash them in."

I kissed my husband's nose. "You're the best."

He grinned.

"Ahem."

I leaned away from Clark to find Perry standing in the doorway with a hint of annoyance on his face.

"What's up, Perry?" I asked casually, relaxing.

"I just had an intern run into my office to complain about you two having…" he paused.

Clark turned bright red while I started to grin over Perry's discomfort. "Having what, Perry?"

"You know dang well what, Lois!" he snapped indignantly. "Look, I know the situation between the two of you is unique and requires a few…_privileges_ in the work place but that doesn't mean I can allow you two getting out of hand while on the job, understand? We've got a newspaper to run and I can't afford my staff being uncomfortable because the two of you decided to publically display your marriage for all to see."

I smirked. "Got it, Chief. Next time we'll close the blinds."

"Lois," Clark groaned indignantly while Perry eyed me irritably.

"What?" I mocked innocence.

Clark and Perry shared a look, shook their heads, and resigned to silence. Grinning wickedly, I kissed Clark again on the cheek, bade Perry goodbye, and walked out of the office to go and collect my things. I finished turning off my computer before calling it a day. Following routine, I waved goodbye to a still slightly miffed Perry, headed down to the parking garage, and met Clark there with Jason in his arms; he usually picked him up from school and met me at the car so we could all go home together.

"Mommy! Guess what?" Jason asked as I kissed him on the forehead.

"What?"

"I got an A in gym!" he said proudly, holding out his progress report.

"That's great honey!"

"Apparently he was able to come in first place in running today," Clark smirked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Clark gave me the 'we'll-talk-about-it-later' look. I nodded before all of us got in the car. As I weaved in and out of traffic, Clark and I listened while Jason debriefed us on everything that had transpired that day from learning about tadpoles changing into frogs in science to multiples of nine in math. Several times I caught Clark's adoring smile as he listened and I couldn't help but feel my heart swell. Clark had slipped into fatherhood so naturally that one might think he'd raised Jason right from the get go. I personally felt that Clark missing Jason's first five years had turned out to be a great blessing because it taught him that every spare moment with Jason was precious. The limited time that he could spend with me and Jason was worth more to Clark than all the riches in the world and he openly displayed that through multiple acts of love in thought, word, and deed - and I loved him all the more for it.

I smiled to myself as I pulled into our apartment complex and parked the car. Clark leaned over and randomly kissed me on the cheek, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "Let's make sure to finish what we started later tonight," he whispered before getting out of the car. "I'd love to see what you were trying to save for later without the help of x-ray vision."

My heart raced uncontrollably while my face turned bright pink. _"Clark,"_ I muttered, exasperated.

He only laughed in response as he took Jason's hand and started for the complex's entrance. I tried to keep my giddiness contained as I shut the car door and joined them on the steps. Dinner that night was almost unbearable since Clark kept playing footsy with me under the table while shooting seductive glances my way every few minutes. He was just as restless as I was for the day to be officially over. I was almost thankful when he had to leave to deal with a robbery; it gave me the chance to sanely put our son to bed before rushing into the bedroom to make myself look presentable.

As I finished brushing my teeth, I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror. "You hopeless romantic," I muttered to my reflection. "Only that man can make you completely lose it…it's maddening I tell you… we've been married for almost a year and yet I'm acting as if I was barely twitterpated…honestly…"

I shook my head just as I heard the faint closing of the bedroom door, signifying Clark's return. My heart leaping into my throat, I walked out of the bathroom only to be enveloped in Clark's embrace. He'd changed into nothing but boxer shorts, leaving his chest fully exposed for my viewing pleasure.

"No fair," I whispered against his lips as my hands ran from his chest to his shoulders.

He laughed as his hands began moving up my navel, unbuttoning my blouse as he went. "You can't blame me for wanting to be selfish tonight," he muttered against my neck. "You did dress the part today after all."

I slapped his arm playfully. "Fine, but I call dibs on being selfish the first night in Hawaii."

"Deal," Clark whispered before picking me up and carrying me in his arms onto the bed.

_**Clark**_

It was Friday morning and for the first time in almost a year, I didn't have to get up to make my rounds. It was rather strange, laying in bed, my mind wandering to fantasies of soft beaches and palm trees, my hand intertwined with my wife's, as we walked across the sand. I sighed and turned my head to stare into the face of my beloved.

Her deep brown hair was tousled across her pillow around her shoulders like a crown while her features were relaxed and soft. I smiled as I listened to her steady breathing with the sound of her heartbeat, a constant stream of music to my rather sensitive ears. Her gentle lips were slightly parted and her eyes occasionally moved back and forth beneath her lids. I wondered what she might be dreaming about as the corners of her mouth lifted in a breathtaking little grin.

I glanced at the clock. 6:30am. We'd had a late night so it would be indecent to wake Lois now though I desperately wanted to. I loved watching her sleep but the fiery passion that burned in her stunning hazel eyes was an even greater supplement to behold. Even so, I settled for simply kissing the top of her hair before hovering out of bed to take a shower.

As the warm water soaked into my hair and trickled passed my broad shoulders, I decided to take a normal shower instead of a super speed one; every once in a while it was nice to slow down. It wasn't very often that I was permitted to have the morning to myself so I figured to enjoy it to its fullest. Besides, the extra time gave me the opportunity to reflect on the blessings that had been given to me.

Growing up had been difficult for me. I had few friends and I always had to pay extra close attention so as not to alert anyone of my true origins. My adopted parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, had drilled it into my brain to keep who I truly was a secret, even from my friends. I understood the ramifications for such an upbringing but it was so lonely. I could never truly share myself completely with someone else. When Pete, Lana, and Chloe discovered the secret at the Homecoming Dance our senior year, I was petrified that they would hate me forever. Instead they were supportive and even accepted my abnormity; well, Lana eventually came around – me keeping secrets from her was the end of our short lived relationship – but Chloe and Pete were calm over the whole realization that their best friend was an alien. It was nice not having to hide from them anymore but my failed relationship with Lana made it seem impossible to ever have what I truly wanted for myself: a family.

And then I met Lois Lane. She turned my world upside down both as Clark Kent and Superman. I was astounded that instead of being terrified of Superman, she was head over heels in love with him. Clark Kent was the goofy best friend she confided in about everything. Every waking moment I spent with her in either guise deepened my respect, love, and longing for her and when she found out the truth I thought my life was finally going to be what I always wanted. But then everything fell apart due to General Zod's antics. After that, I was sure I was doomed to a life of eternal loneliness. But then, after my five year hiatus in space, I returned to Earth and found that Lois had a son who turned out to be mine! I was overcome with joy! This emotion only continued to overflow when all the broken pieces of my heart slowly glued back together as Lois opened her whole heart to me, loving both Clark Kent and Superman.

The best day of my life was the day Lois Lane became my wife. She was forever mine and mine alone just as I was the same for her. And now here we were, a year later, still going strong. Sure, we'd had our ups and downs with a few nasty fights wrenched in the works but our love for each other always outweighed them. The League had been rather impressed over my ability to juggle two jobs and a family; they'd often whispered concerns about whether or not Lois and I were going to stay together during our few rather heated disagreements. I was both happy and grateful to have proved them wrong.

The truth was that even if Lois hated my guts forever, I would never be able to stop loving her. My anger would eventually disappear as my undying obsessive love of the woman took over every rational sense of my being. I couldn't function properly without Lois. I would never truly be happy without her. I needed her. And no matter how many disagreements we got into, I was determined that no matter what, I would do whatever it took (after simmering my pride) to mend any cracks in our relationship. Compromise and humility were key when married to Mad Dog Lane.

I rinsed off and stepped out of the shower just as I heard Lois begin to stir. Smiling, I dried off at super speed, changed into my suit and flew off to get her a cup of fresh coffee. I managed to get back with said cup in hand just as her eyes fluttered open. Setting the coffee on her bedside table, I leaned forward and kissed her. "Good morning."

She smiled. "Morning, handsome. Mmmm, you smell good."

"That's usually what happens when you take a shower."

She stuck out her lower lip in a mock-pout. "And you didn't invite me?"

I laughed. "I'll make it up to you tonight, sweetheart. It's your turn to be selfish."

To that, she grinned wickedly before taking a sip of coffee. "And don't you forget it, Smallville."

A small shiver of pleasure ran down my spine. I'd always loved this nickname from Lois. Only she called me that and it was even more endearing to me now that we were married. Oddly, the name made me feel special to her and it had definitely lifted my spirits before we were married.

I spun out of my suit into a pair of jeans and a tee shirt just as the door opened and Jason came rushing in. Lois made sure she was covered up as our son leapt into my arms.

"Jason, what did I tell you about knocking first?" I chided gently as I hugged him tight.

"Sorry, Daddy," he said into my neck. "I'm just really excited!"

I smiled. "Me too, kiddo. Are you all packed?"

"Uh-huh! I packed last night!"

"Did you remember your toothbrush this time?" Lois asked.

Jason froze. "Oh! I forgot! Thanks Mommy!" And without another word, he dashed from my eyes in a blur, shutting the door behind him.

Lois frowned. "I thought you said the super speed wouldn't come back so soon."

I paused. "Well, sweetheart, for me it came in spurts. It wasn't uncommon for me to go fast like that when I was excited about something."

"Hmmm, I think I need to get another tutorial from your mother."

"I'm sure she'd love that but first I think you need to get ready," I said tenderly, kissing her forehead. "We don't want to keep Hawaii waiting."

Lois' heartbeat sped up at the mention of our anniversary trip. Flinging the covers aside, she downed her coffee as she made her way to the bathroom. I made sure to appreciate the view until she was out of physical sight. "Clark, before you continue to ogle me with x-ray vision, you might want to make sure our son has a decent breakfast besides cereal."

I chuckled under my breath; she knew me so well. "Fair enough, honey."

_**Lois**_

I shook my head, a smile on my face. "That man…I swear…" I muttered as I started my early morning routine. I managed to shower, brush my teeth, fix my hair, apply makeup, and get dressed in half an hour – anticipation tends to make me go faster. Checking my reflection and satisfied with my light kaki's, red sandals, and red button up shirt, I made my way into the kitchen.

"Breakfast burritos!" Jason cried out at the sight of me, holding a half eaten tortilla in his hands. "Look Mommy!"

I kissed the top of his head. "Looks good, munchkin."

"Would you like one?" Clark asked, turning to me with a frying pan and half cooked scrambled eggs on display.

I shrugged. "Sure, thanks."

Clark finished cooking the eggs with his heat vision before assembling the burrito at top speed, handing the finished product to me two seconds later. I shook my head, amused, before enjoying the meal. Clark had always been a great cook and this morning was no exception; there must be something about cooking with heat vision that makes everything taste so much better. I savored each bite and had to try really hard not to request another one. Clark grinned knowingly from the look of restrain in my eyes but wisely didn't oblige me. Instead, he cleaned up the kitchen.

"Can we go now?!" Jason demanded impatiently just as Clark closed the last cupboard door.

"Goodness, someone really wants to see grandma, huh?" I teased, poking his stomach.

Jason giggled and waved his arms frantically. "Mom, stop it!"

I laughed as I kissed his head again. "Sorry, munchkin, couldn't resist."

"Seriously though, can we go?" Jason asked again, looking at his father with hope filled eyes.

Clark looked at me and we both shared a mischievous grin. "I don't know son…we were thinking we might just cancel the vacation."

Jason's mouth dropped open. "What?! Why?!" he whined.

"Just kidding," I muttered.

Jason frowned. "That wasn't funny."

Clark laughed as he ruffled his curls. "Come on, kiddo, let's go to Smallville."

"_Yes!"_

Clark reached down to pick Jason up but suddenly froze. Before I could even ask what it was, Clark had disappeared. I blinked around and found him standing at the window in the living room, the curtains spread wide open.

"Clark?"

He looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face.

"Clark, what is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing…but I thought I saw someone…"

It was my turn to frown. "Who would be outside the window twenty stories from the ground? Was it someone from the League?"

Clark shook his head. "They were gone before I could get a good look at them."

"How did you know they were there?"

"They accidently tapped against the glass."

Trying not to be disturbed by this news, I picked up Jason and cleared my throat. "Clark, honey, we should probably get going…don't want to keep Martha and the others waiting, right?"

Clark reluctantly turned away from the window and nodded. "You're right. But I'd like to make a call to the League before we leave."

I sighed. "Fine."

Kissing me briefly, he muttered, "I just want to inform them, sweetheart. That's all."

A quick call was made to Batman who promised to monitor the apartment while we were gone then Clark changed into his suit and whisked us out the windows towards Kansas. We had to travel quickly so no one would see Superman flying through the air holding luggage with Lois Lane and her son on his back. I made sure to be lying vertically on top of Clark with my arms secured around his shoulders while Jason was squished in between us. We'd traveled this way before and though it wasn't the most comfortable for Jason, it was only necessary until we left Metropolis. I knew we'd reached the hills when the wind died down in my ears. I straightened up and Jason gratefully emerged to get a better view of the earth hundreds of thousands of feet below us.

"Careful not to lean over too far, honey," I cautioned.

"I know, Mom," Jason said.

I kept my arms around his torso while Clark slightly changed course towards Smallville. As we flew silently through the clouds and open sky, my thoughts strayed back to the mysterious figure Clark had seen outside our window. Even though I wanted nothing more than to have a quiet, simple anniversary, I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach… a feeling I hadn't felt since Darkseid had nearly destroyed our lives. I looked up at the infinite skies and silently pled: if there's any chance of having a peaceful vacation, please grant it to us.

Even as I thought the plea, my feelings wouldn't rest. Something seemed off…

**Well? How was it? Let me know what you think in a review! Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be posted soon.**


	2. Unwelcome Guests

02: Unwelcome Guests

_**Lois**_

We touched down in Smallville about an hour later to a welcome party consisting of Clark's mother, Martha, Conner, and Kara. Clark hovered above the ground so Jason and I could slip off before righting himself. Jason rushed into Martha's arms first, kissing his grandma on both cheeks and squeezing her tight.

"My goodness," she muttered, hugging him back. "You've got quite the grip there, Jason."

Jason looked really pleased as he flexed his muscles. "Mommy says that soon I'll be as strong as Daddy."

Martha chuckled. "I'm sure you will be."

Clark was clapping Conner on the shoulder while I embraced Kara. She warmly returned the hug. The Kryptonian teenager had come far from abhorring human contact. She still had difficulty touching strangers but she openly and freely expressed affection to her loved ones.

"You look great," I commented, eyeing her up and down.

Kara looked rather pleased. "Thanks. All my clothes come from Lana's company."

"She's a natural walking advertisement," Conner teased, coming to give me a hug too.

"Whatever, Conner!" Kara retorted playfully. "I just happen to like what Lana comes up with. She definitely has better fashion sense than you do."

Conner spread his arms wide. "And what is so wrong with a simple pair of jeans, a white tee shirt, and blue plaid flannel?"

"It's tacky that's what."

"Tacky? I wore that kind of stuff all the time growing up," Clark said.

Kara rolled her eyes. "Like I said: tacky."

I lightly snorted to stifle a laugh. Clark and Conner looked a little exasperated but shrugged it off, deciding it was better to let it go than to continue the dispute. Martha also laughed lightly. "Come along everyone, I just pulled out a fresh batch of cookies."

"Cookies!" Jason cried, racing into the house as a blur.

Martha's eyes went wide. "My, my, super speed already! I recall you had spurts like that around his age too, Clark."

"Always when he was excited?" I guessed.

Martha nodded with a twinkle in her eye. Conner and Kara looked between Clark and Martha curiously. "Does this mean I can race with him?" Conner asked hopeful.

Before either Clark or I could respond, Martha emphatically shook her head. "You will do no such thing Conner Kent! And don't you dare try to do it behind my back either. I'll find out."

Conner looked peeved but sighed, "Fine. But can I at least ask why?"

"Yeah," Kara interjected. "I see no reason to suppress Jason's powers."

"That's because the two of you didn't get your powers until you were young adults."

"I technically was three days old –" Conner began but stopped when Martha stared him down.

"A seven year old is not prepared to be responsible should something happen without adult supervision," Martha said wisely. "I'm not suggesting suppressing Jason. That would be going against the nature of who he is. No, when Jonathan and I noticed Clark's speed picking up, we'd take him to discrete locations where he could practice controlling it."

"Then let's do that," Conner began but again Martha held up her hand.

"Conner, as excited as you are to play with someone who shares your abilities, it's the responsibility of parents to raise their children in every field of development they have to face."

My heart went out to Martha at these words because she'd spoken a secret fear I'd been harboring for months. I was terrified that I wasn't qualified for raising Jason now that he was developing super powers. It seemed more logical to have Clark help him with Conner and Kara's assistance but my heart desperately wanted to be the co-helper. I wanted to raise Jason by Clark's side in every aspect human and super hero alike. I suppose I had simply forgotten that Clark hadn't had a super hero to teach him how to be the hero he eventually became. He had ordinary yet extraordinary people: the Kents.

Martha caught my eye and smiled knowingly. That woman…she could read me like a book. She was just as bad as Clark. I hadn't outright expressed my fears but Clark had sat me down just last week and wiggled it out of me. He had said the same thing Martha had and hearing it a second time from another person was a balm to my worries more soothing than anything else. Clark put his arm around me a squeezed my shoulder tightly.

"Told you so," he whispered in my ear before kissing my temple.

I glanced up at him with an embarrassed smile. "Hey, it was a legitimate concern!"

Conner and Kara had already retreated into the house to join Jason with the cookie consumption. Martha, however, walked over to us and gave me a hug. "Don't worry," she muttered, "I'll see to it that Jason's parentage comes from the right source and not the influence of teenagers. Or grandmothers for that matter."

I shook my head. "Martha, you raised Superman! I'd love for your help in raising the next generation. I can't do it on my own."

Martha's eyes sparkled. "That's where you're wrong, dear. A grandmother's job isn't to raise a grandchild. It's to spoil them!"

I couldn't help but smile while Clark chuckled beside me. "Besides Lois, you raised Jason for five years before you even knew he had powers."

"Are you kidding," I muttered, "I never would have been able to survive if I had tried to raise him on my own. Richard was my saving grace those five years."

Clark stiffened and I immediately regretted what I said. Even though it had been a year and I had forgiven him for leaving us, Clark still felt horrible about abandoning us during that time. I immediately wrapped my arms around him while Martha discretely slipped into the house to give us a private moment.

"You're a big dork, you know that?" I muttered into his chest, rubbing his back tenderly.

He slumped in my arms and rested his head on my shoulder. His strong arms were wrapped securely around me but more with the feel of one holding onto a life preserver than a protector. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Clark, you can't allow yourself to slip into this again," I chastened gently. "We've been over this. Heck, I even made you go and see a psychiatrist!"

"I know, I know," he muttered.

"Did they help you at all?"

"Yeah," he sighed, "but I still can't help but feel guilty still, Lois. I abandoned you. I abandoned Jason. For the first time in my life I was selfish and look where it got me! I almost lost you." He cupped my face and searched my eyes. "I almost had my entire reason for living ripped away from me. I don't understand why you've forgiven me. All those years…"

I rolled my eyes, reached up on my tiptoes, and yanked him downward into a furious kiss. Our mouths danced back and forth for several blissful seconds before we both pulled away, gasping. I had both my hands around his neck so he was hunched over. My forehead touched his as I breathed deeply.

"I forgave you… because I love you… Smallville," I said breathlessly. "And no other man has ever managed to take my breath away the way you do – not even Richard."

Clark shook his head, a small pleased smile forming on his adorably handsome features. His fingers lightly feathered my cheeks. "I'm the luckiest guy on the planet, having you as my wife."

I kissed him again. My emotions hungering for more, I pushed my way into his mouth, wrapping one of my legs around his hip in the same motion. We were becoming lost in each other, my hands voluntarily creeping under his tight suit. I got up to the famous S symbol before someone cleared their throat.

It was a good thing Clark's back was to the entrance of the Kent farmhouse and his cape hid the fact that my leg was still wrapped around him or else Conner would have stumbled upon something he might not like to see. With a deep blush I realized the couple of involuntary moans I'd produced as Clark kissed my neck had probably not escaped Conner or Kara's delicate ears. Releasing Clark and feeling utterly foolish for attempting to make out in the middle of the yard, I stepped back and refastened my severely unbuttoned blouse.

Clark smirked as he watched me work, his eyes on the lacy black lingerie I had hidden underneath. He made sure to tuck in the upper part of his suit as I finished fastening the last button. Using his Superman grace, Clark's face was completely smooth and neutral as he turned to face Conner.

The teenager looked away absolutely mortified he'd caught us at such a time. His embarrassment was cute and reminded me a lot of Clark in the office. "Um, Martha said you two can take off if you want," he muttered, staring at the wooden railing of the porch.

Clark took it in stride. "Take care of everyone, okay?"

Conner nodded, finally finding the motivation to look up. "I will."

Clark scooped me into his arms, smiled at my slight surprise, and took off without another word. My stomach took a while to catch up with me from the sudden change in pace. Gathering my bearings, I wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled tightly against him. "That wasn't very nice," I muttered against his neck before kissing the base of his jaw.

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand there another second with an audience…not with you kissing me like that anyway."

"Well, you did say I'd be able to be the selfish one tonight," I reminded, my lips continuing to kiss different places on his neck. I found the hollow between his collarbones and lingered there a moment or two, savoring the sweet smell of Kansas fields and crisp air that seemed to permanently linger on his skin. Clark shivered slightly. I grinned.

"You're an evil vixen, you know that," he said breathlessly. "I only have problems with flying when you're in my arms."

"Well, if it bothers you so much I'll stop," I teased.

He responded by pulling my body upward so as to find my lips and kiss me. My mind spiraling into fits of ecstasy, I sighed into his mouth, allowing natural instinct to take control. I didn't realize we had changed direction until I pulled up for air. "Clark, are you paying attention to where you're going?"

He cleared his throat a little embarrassed. "Honestly? Not really. I was rather…distracted."

I laughed. "How about we wait to finish this when we actually reach Hawaii, hmmm?" I asked, stroking the bright red S on his chest.

He didn't seem too thrilled but nodded. "It's probably for the best. Good thing we're only two minutes away from the islands."

I grinned. "Two minutes, huh?"

Clark gazed down at me with a raised eyebrow. "What are you plotting Miss Lane?"

I smiled as he used my nickname. "Oh, I figure Superman won't be too distracted by simple kisses…"

Clark's eyes darkened with desire but he shook his head. "Sorry, ma'am but I can't be distracted when I fly."

I laughed lightly, ignoring his polite decline, kissing his neck again where I had left off. I'm not entirely sure how he did it but he managed to change into his Clark clothes while I was still in the process of satisfying myself after we had reached the island. Still holding me in his arms, Clark carried me into the hotel. I managed to stop my endeavors when I heard the sounds of civilization around us. Clark laughed lightly. "I'm a little disappointed. Here I thought I'd be able to have a moment like Bruce or Oliver when a woman is swooning over them so much they don't realize where they are until they're in bed."

I rolled my eyes and slapped his chest playfully. "At least I'm not screaming for you to let me stand on my own two feet."

Clark looked thoughtful. "I guess that's a definite indication that Lois Lane is indeed swooning over me if she's not even going to put up a fight like that."

I kissed his chin. "Shut up and carry me to the hotel room, Smallville."

"Yes ma'am," he said, happily waltzing up to the clerk and checking us in.

He kept me in his arms all the way until we were in our own private suite. I didn't have much interest in seeing the interior design. Instead I gently pushed myself out of Clark's arms and stood on my feet. He eyed me with amusement as I walked over and turned off the lights, leaving the room bathed in nothing but the low afternoon glow coming in from the balcony that overlooked a breathtaking view of the ocean.

"Stand right there," I commanded.

"Whatever you say, Miss Lane," he replied in good humor.

I stripped down into nothing but my lingerie, tossing my clothes aside. I could see Clark fidget, obviously desiring nothing more than to rush across the room and toss me on the bed. Thankfully he kept true to his word and allowed me to be the selfish one tonight. I walked over to him and undid his tie, pulling it slowly off from around his neck. Clark closed his eyes and savored the deliberately slow motions I made as I removed layer after layer. It was nice to slow things down and simply enjoy the moment. I didn't allow myself to start kissing him until his chest was completely bare. He stayed still, his hands at his side yet his body was shaking with almost unbearable desire. I teased him a bit further, kissing him passionately and seductively before whispering against his neck, "Alright, I think we're even now."

The go ahead was all he needed and before I knew it I was laying on the bed as he showered me in kisses that left every inch of skin warm with a burning heat.

_**Clark**_

We had been in Hawaii for two whole days and I was having the time of my life. Not once had I been needed; the League and Alliance were definitely doing everything in their power to keep me in the dark concerning the affairs of the world. I appreciated their desires to ensure that Lois and I had this time to ourselves and I know that Lois was secretly overjoyed that she had me all to herself for two days without having to cut off a conversation or romantic moment.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and smiled happily as I took in the dark green bikini top she'd decided to wear along with the short shorts which gave me plenty of opportunity to appreciate her long slender legs – one of her best features in my opinion. We were wandering down a trail surrounded by foliage on our way to a small private waterfall I had discovered through x-ray vision yesterday when we'd cut through the same trail with a small tourist group. I'd promised Lois a private beach today complete with waterfall and she'd leapt at the idea the moment the suggestion was out of my mouth.

"How much farther is it?" she asked as she climbed over a fallen log.

I smiled. "Just around the river bend, sweetheart."

She rolled her eyes. "This isn't Pocahontas, Smallville. I'm serious."

I chuckled. "So am I."

Her heart picked up excitedly and her pace accelerated. "Really?"

I matched her steps with ease and guided her around a large outcropping of rock that turned out to be a cave entrance hidden by foliage and overgrown vines. "Just through here," I muttered, my voice echoing off the walls, mixing with the cool air and the sound of dripping water.

The noise of the waterfall caught Lois' ears and she excitedly put on another burst of speed as we rushed around the corner. Emerging into sunlight, I heard Lois gasp as she took in the breathtaking scene. A small waterfall cascaded ten feet into a pool of water six feet deep and twenty feet wide. Rocky cliffs surrounded all sides, the cracks filled with small bits and pieces of plants and tropical flowers. Several conveniently sized boulders were near the edge of the pool and also in the shallow end where one could sit or lean against them should they so desire.

"Clark, it's perfect!" Lois cried, leaping into my arms. I scooped her up and carried her into the water, kissing her passionately while trying to convey the incomprehensible love I had for her. Her fingers snaked through my hair and she gasped as the cold water lapped against her skin. I leapt at the opportunity and explored her mouth, hungrily satisfying the desires boiling inside me.

We were waist length deep in the pool when a slashing noise like a curtain being ripped apart rang through my ears. I broke away and looked up to find a gigantic golden ankh symbol floating in the air. Immediate dread killed the arousals that had sparked from the kissing and I sighed in distain. "This can't be good."

Lois's arms and legs were still wrapped around me but her attention was also diverted by the figure that emerged before the giant ankh. The light from the sun glinted off his helmet while his yellow cape billowed around his blue and yellow spandex outfit.

"I am sorry for disturbing you, Superman and Lois Lane," Dr. Fate greeted in his deep resounding voice. "But this cannot wait."

"What is it, Dr. Fate?" Lois asked, trying to keep the annoyance from her tone. I couldn't blame her. I felt the same way.

"I will explain back at Watchtower," he promised. "This portal will take us directly there."

"You want us to go there _now?_" I asked incredulously.

"Yes. This cannot wait," he repeated.

Lois stared at me in disbelief but I shrugged. I learned earlier on that when Dr. Fate arrived on the scene, it wasn't a practical joke. Whatever he wanted to discuss with us, it was obviously imperative enough that he'd interrupted a rather private moment. Though I wanted nothing more than to stay with Lois in this secluded location in Hawaii, the situation needed to be addressed. In two seconds I was clad in my suit, lifting Lois into my arms out of the water. Without a word we followed Dr. Fate through the portal, emerging in the cafeteria area of Watchtower where the heroes usually gathered to relax after fighting against crime. Now that Watchtower had been open to all heroes, the place was pretty crowded and due to our dramatic entrance, silence reigned in the hall when everyone discovered who had just arrived.

_**Lois**_

I've been in several humiliating positions in my lifetime as a reporter but this situation was close to being the most degrading I'd experienced so far. Here I was standing in a space-base for all the heroes of Earth (which had multiplied to over a hundred since the League was founded) in the most crowded common area dripping onto the carpet like a drowned cat in nothing but a bikini top and short shorts. Never before had I exposed so much skin in public. Sure I'd worn sleeveless things before but the generation I was raised in never felt the need to expose the body in bikinis and other such popular garb of today's fashion standards. In other words, I was completely mortified. Not to mention I was standing next to Superman clad in all his wondrous glory, the hero that every other hero looked up to and adored! I must have looked like an absolute joke next to him! And it didn't escape my attention that several rather revealing women just off to the right of us were eyeing my husband with pointblank lust.

Clark heard my heart racing. Ignoring the whispers of the lesser known heroes who were asking who on earth I could possibly be, Clark whipped his cape off from around his shoulders and draped it over mine. Of course that only made it worse as the whispers intensified.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

I stared at him incredulously. "What's wrong? _What's wrong?!"_ I hissed. "What's wrong,_ Superman,_ is that everyone here is wondering just who the heck I am and why you just gave me your cape! Not to mention the shameless expressions on those barely-covered-with-spandex women eyeing you as if you were a single man for the taking!"

"Lois, they don't know," Clark muttered.

My eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see. You don't want them to know about me, is that it? You enjoy the attention do you? I can't blame you with all these ill-clad women swooning over every beck and call you make."

Clark's eyes filled with panic. I was slowly spiraling into Mad Dog Lane mode and once turned on I wasn't going to turn off until I burned out. Knowing this, Clark took my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. "Lois, I promised myself to you and you alone! Have you forgotten that? The only reason I've kept you a secret from the newer heroes is because I thought it would be the best way to protect you and Jason. But since it bothers you so much I'll put a stop to the rumors once and for all."

Before I could reply, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a full blown kiss; not just a simple peck either but a deep, tongue heavily involved kiss that usually he only reserved for when we were behind closed doors. By the time he pulled away, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. My eyelids fluttered open and I found his unearthly blues penetrating right into my soul.

"_Forever yours and yours alone,"_ he said passionately in Kryptonian as he caressed my cheek.

Whatever anger I had displayed earlier immediately evaporated into thin air. _"Forever yours and yours alone," _I replied just as fervently in Kryptonian. I shook my head and smiled. "You always know the right thing to say, Smallville."

"I love you," he responded, briefly planting a kiss on my lips. "Am I forgiven?"

I smiled. "Sure. Love you too, Kal-El."

He rubbed his thumb along my cheek one more time before turning his attention to Dr. Fate, ignoring the rest of the silent stares in the room from the shocked heroes. "I'm sorry for the delay Dr. Fate."

"That is quite alright, Superman. I anticipated it. Now, if you will follow me, I must speak with you." I moved to follow but Dr. Fate held up a hand. "I'm sorry Lois Lane but I must speak with each of you individually. I promise my intrusion will make sense in a few moments."

Clark squeezed my hand. "Can you handle being in a room full of superheroes?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't think it's going to be that big of a problem. I'll just get some chocolate pudding from the kitchen while I wait."

He gave me one last kiss before following Dr. Fate out the doors.

_**Clark**_

The second the doors shut on us in a private conference room just down the hall from the cafeteria, I folded my arms and stared at my colleague. "So what was so important that you had to interrupt my anniversary, Fate?"

"I'm sorry, Superman, but he did so at my request."

I turned around and noticed a woman clad in the same outfit as Dr. Fate except her flowing blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders in waves. From the look of her, she was undoubtedly young; perhaps fourteen at least. "Who are you?"

"I am Dr. Fate," she replied, standing up and coming over to shake my hand. "I must say it is an honor to meet the famous Superman in person."

I raised an eyebrow. "How can there be two Dr. Fate's?"

"I am the Dr. Fate of the twenty eighth century," the blonde revealed. "My name is Kennedy Neilson. The current Dr. Fate you are familiar with is my great, great, ever so great, grandfather."

My eyebrows rose to my hairline. "What are you doing here?"

"I come with a warning from the future," Kennedy said, sitting down at a rounded table. For one so young, she looked to be under a lot of stress from the tenseness in her shoulders. "In my day, you and Lois Lane are legends along with the rest of the original Justice League. You specifically are the most poignant motivator of heroes and have been for centuries. Your posterity continues to uphold what you began. One of my dear friends eventually will be one of your granddaughters. I have only been Dr. Fate for three weeks in my time but I had to come back to this exact time and place to warn you."

"Warn me of what?"

"There is an evil that has existed for many years," Kennedy explained. "He calls himself the Time Trapper. One of our own, a descendant of Aquaman, stumbled upon the Time Trapper's plans to travel back in time to end the life of someone who's death would hinder the eventual plethora of heroes that have graced the world for generations."

"And who would this person be?"

"Lois Lane."

My heart skipped a beat. "How could killing Lois prevent other heroes from existing?"

Kennedy smiled wearily. "You really don't see it, do you? Superman, I told you before that your influence is the one that helps shape great people into extraordinary heroes."

I shook my head. "How have I influenced all the heroes that have come after me? As far as I can see, many of them don't have the same values I do – like Batman for instance."

Kennedy smiled. "You influenced Batman more than you will ever know. Trust me, Superman; I've read the history books."

"Okay, but what does my influence have to do with this?"

"Think about it," Kennedy prompted, "If Lois Lane was killed before you could ever meet her, would you really be the man you are today?"

I ran a hand through my hair, finally understanding what she was getting at. "No I definitely wouldn't. So… this Time Trapper guy is going to go into the past and kill Lois? Doesn't he know that any attempt he makes I'll stop?"

"He plans to travel back to a time when you don't know her, a time before your paths crossed. It is commonly known that if Lois Lane were not present, Superman wouldn't exist."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Okay that I don't understand. I became Superman _before_ I met Lois. How would not meeting her hinder me from becoming something I already was before I even knew she existed?"

Kennedy shook her head. "I'm not at liberty to say, I'm afraid. You simply will have to trust that I speak the truth."

I looked at Dr. Fate who nodded his head. "She is right, Superman."

I sighed. "Fine, I believe you. But why are you telling me this? Why can't you follow Time Trapper and stop him yourself?"

"Because in order for all fate to tie together, _you_ must be the one to stop him," Kennedy answered. "The Time Trapper has traveled back to the time when Lois was in her first year of working for the Daily Planet and you were in your senior year of high school. In order to ensure her survival, you must protect her from danger."

"But won't that be altering the time stream?" I wondered.

Kennedy shook her head. "No it will not but I can't tell you how this is possible. You're just going to have to trust me, Superman."

Aggravated with so little information, I merely nodded. I hated not having all the facts before rushing into a situation; especially something that had to deal with Lois's safety. Dr. Fate took a step closer. "You're going to need my help to defeat Time Trapper, Superman. You must seek out my younger self. Give him this note. It will explain what he needs to do."

I glanced at him questioningly as I took the concealed scroll from him. It was lined in a lead casing. "Lead?"

"I'm sorry. It is imperative that only my younger self read what has been written. I know we are shadowing you in a lot of mystery but Superman you have to trust us. Your fate and the fate of your family are dependent upon ensuring that Lois Lane lives."

"What do you want me to do about the Time Trapper?"

"Just focus on protecting Lois," Kennedy advised. "Stay with her at all times. Never let her go off anywhere alone. The Dr. Fate of that time period will come to you when the time is right to destroy the Time Trapper."

"How will he know that I need his help?"

"He will come to you shortly after your arrival," Dr. Fate replied.

I opened my mouth to say something but sighed instead. "Even if I asked how he'd know about my arrival, you wouldn't tell me."

Dr. Fate nodded.

"For the purpose of staying close to Lois, we will cast a spell upon you that will change your age to that of a college student," Kennedy revealed. "Don't worry, the magic will not hinder your abilities. It will simply disguise you."

I swallowed hard. "When am I to travel back in time?"

"Immediately," Dr. Fate answered. "Time will stop here until your return."

"What about Lois? I can't just disappear without telling her what's going on."

"Don't worry, Superman," Kennedy replied. "She'll be well taken care of."

From the state of affairs I didn't have much leg room to work with. Lois was in danger and in a time where I wouldn't hear her call for help. If what Kennedy said was true and Lois was going to die, my future was sure to drastically change. Coming to a decision, I stood tall. "You're absolutely positive that time here will stop until I get back?"

Dr. Fate nodded.

I sighed heavily before squaring my shoulders. "Alright, send me back."

Both Dr. Fates stood shoulder to shoulder and thrust out their hands, filling the air with an ancient Egyptian chant. A warm light engulfed me and I felt like I was being wrapped in a heated comforter. Closing my eyes, I held fast to the scroll from Dr. Fate as the light turned into a blinding flash of white and I felt my body rise and fall as I spiraled through time.

_**Lois**_

The second I was alone, I decided to ignore the stares of the heroes around me and head for the other side of the room where the cafeteria line began. With Superman's cape securely covering myself, I strode through the heroes with my head held high. I'd been under the eye of scrutiny plenty of times in my line if work. The stares and whispered conversations weren't anything new; I just had to ignore that the whispers were coming from fairly famous superheroes.

Taking deep, calm breaths, I made it to the other side without particularly making eye contact with anyone. Thankfully there wasn't a large line. Because we'd made such a dramatic entrance, the heroes in line were all facing my direction; I tried not to catch the eye of the hero right in front of me. He was largely built, wearing red spandex with a bright yellow lightning bolt down the middle of his chest and a short white cape across his shoulders. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a blast of wind that ruffled my damp hair around my shoulders.

"Lois?"

I whirled around and found the Flash staring at me in equal surprise. "Flash! Hi! Fancy seeing you here," I said, trying to sound cheerful.

Flash looked around. "Geez, this place feels like a wake… what are you doing here? I thought you and Supes were off in Hawaii."

An annoyed expression graced my face but before I could respond the doors opened again and the rest of the original members of the Justice League - Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Martian Manhunter – stepped inside.

"No fair, Flash!" Green Lantern shouted across the room, completely oblivious to the silence of the other heroes. "You weren't supposed to run!"

Upon seeing me, the others paused.

"Lois? What are you doing here?" Martian Manhunter asked in concern.

The others took in my wet appearance and the cape around my shoulders. Batman eyed the room and noticed the heroes' expressions. A deep frown on his face, he walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Where's Superman?"

I sighed and flung a piece of wet hair out of my face. "Can I get some chocolate pudding before I answer?"

Batman raised a questioning eyebrow but nodded. I looked at the line in front of me and all the heroes leapt aside to let me pass. I almost felt like I was some kind of freak the way they were reacting. So I was Superman's wife! What was the big deal? Maybe they had misinterpreted all of this and thought I was merely his girlfriend or something. Whatever the case, being on display like this wasn't particularly fun. It didn't help that I was still dripping all over the floor.

I marched up to the front of the line and found myself face to face with an android. "What can I get for you, miss?"

"Chocolate pudding please."

"I'm afraid we're not serving that today."

I growled in frustration. "Oh come on! You have to at least have it in stock! This is a cafeteria for _superheroes!_ You can't tell me you don't serve chocolate here! I know for a fact Superman always has chocolate pudding in stock. It's his favorite after all."

"That may be true miss but it is reserved for Superman only."

"Well too bad!" I snapped and before anyone could stop me, I vaulted over the counter into the kitchen. The androids rushed forward but I rolled over the counter and headed for the fridge that conveniently had the famous Superman S on the front of it. My pace faltered as I noticed it required a password. Smiling evilly, I typed in one word: _pink._ The fridge opened immediately, the chocolate pudding shining before my eyes.

"Bingo," I muttered, snatching one out.

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to return that," an android said right behind me.

I rolled my eyes and turned around. The android was holding a weapon of some type (it looked like a tazer) and was slowly advancing.

"Give me a break," I muttered. "Does he really go to this much trouble to protect his pudding?"

I thought about it and realized that Clark only ever shared his pudding with me. I guess he would.

"I will warn you one last time, miss. Return the pudding please."

"I don't think I will," I snapped, striding passed.

The android thrust the tazer towards me. In one fluid motion, I stepped to the side, grabbed the android's hand and thrust the tazer into its chest. The poor thing short circuited and dropped to the ground, writhing for several moments before turning still. The other androids looked down at their fellow fallen employee then up at me.

"Anyone else?" I asked savagely as I yanked a spoon from a drawer. The androids shook their heads and stepped back. "I thought so!"

I walked back over to the counter and slid across the surface to where the League stood waiting. Again, the room was filled with silent shock. Ignoring this, I broke into my pudding and happily downed the first few bites in peace.

"Lois…that was…"

I looked up at Flash who was shaking his head with an unmistakable grin of approval. I grinned back and shrugged. "I wanted pudding."

Several people chuckled around us and I caught the eyes of other heroes looking at me with the same surprise and amusement as the Flash. Before anyone could say anything else, the doors of the cafeteria opened and Dr. Fate came striding towards me without Clark. I raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Superman?"

"He will return shortly. Lois Lane, you will follow me, please."

I swallowed the last bit of my pudding and set the empty container on the counter. "Okay," I muttered, hesitant.

"Wait, where are you two going?" Wonder Woman asked.

"I'll be back in a minute," I promised.

Without another word, I followed Dr. Fate out the doors into a small conference room just down the hall. The second the doors were closed I felt a slight sense of dread; Clark wasn't in the room. Instead there was a woman clad in the same outfit as Dr. Fate sitting at the round conference table.

"Who are you?"

The blond stood and shook my hand. "I am Kennedy Neilson, the Dr. Fate from the twenty eighth century, Lois Lane."

I looked from her to Dr. Fate who nodded that she spoke the truth. "Okay," I muttered, taking the news in stride, "what are you doing here?"

"I came here to implore you to prevent a disaster from occurring. An evil creature by the name of the Time Trapper has traveled from my time into the past to prevent Superman from ever becoming the hero he is today and the legend he will become in my day."

My eyebrows rose.

Kennedy sighed. "There is much that I wish to confide but I am constrained, Lois Lane. All I can say is that if you do not return to the time when Clark Kent is a senior in high school, the man you love will not exist and time as we know it will be altered forever."

I stared at her incredulously. "What?! You can't be serious?"

"It's the truth."

I studied her slightly glowing eyes wishing that I could see through the mask. It was so much easier to read people when you could see their face! Scowling, I muttered, "If this Time Trapper guy is really going to get rid of Superman, how do you expect me to stop him? Unless your textbooks left out a rather crucial detail, you know I don't have any kind of powers."

Kennedy smiled and shook her head. "You can't see what I see, Lois Lane. You have a power greater than any physical impalement that could be inflicted upon the Time Trapper. Only you can heal what is broken. I cannot say anymore."

I furrowed my brow. "You lost me. I don't understand how on earth I can help! Why can't you stop him yourself?"

She shook her head emphatically, her blond curls swaying back and forth. "In order for the future to be secure I cannot interfere more than I already have. The Time Trapper is cunning and already anticipates someone from my time period trying to stop him. What he will not anticipate is your presence."

"How is that possible? If he's from the future he knows Clark and I didn't actually meet until we were both working for the Daily Planet."

Kennedy shook her head again. "I can't elaborate on any more, I'm sorry. You're just going to have to trust me. Please, Lois Lane! Superman's fate hangs in the balance. If you do not help him now, the future as we know it is doomed."

I frowned. It's not that I didn't want to help Clark…I just had no idea what exactly I was supposed to do! "What do you want me to do?" I asked, exasperated.

"You will know when you get there," Dr. Fate replied mysteriously.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine but what about the Time Trapper?"

"The Dr. Fate from that time period will come to your aid. When the time is right, he will take care of him," Kennedy promised. "Your job is to help Clark Kent."

An aggravated sigh escaped my lips and I bit my thumbnail. "Does Clark know about this?"

"No."

"I can't just disappear without telling him!"

"Time will stand still here until you return," Dr. Fate assured.

"You're absolutely positive?" I pressed.

"Yes."

I bit my lip. Clark had often told me that when Dr. Fate appeared it was wise to heed rather than mock. If he and the future Dr. Fate were both telling me that I needed to travel back into the past to save Clark, I felt that I could trust that they knew what they were talking about even though I had no clue what they actually wanted me to do. Determination welled within me. "Fine, I'll go. I still don't understand what I'm supposed to do but if you say that Clark's future depends on me, I trust you."

Kennedy took my shoulders. "You are everything the legends say and more, Lois Lane."

"Thanks…I think."

Dr. Fate approached, standing shoulder to shoulder with Kennedy. "Good luck, Lois Lane."

I nodded, shutting my eyes. A brilliant light flashed behind my closed lids and I felt as if I was being enveloped in a comforter made of pure sunshine. My body lifted before darkness took over and I fell into a deep sleep.

_**Clark**_

A foul stench right in my face was the first thing that woke me out of the strange stupor I'd found myself in. Shaking my head and feeling slightly disoriented, I looked around to find that I was in an alley. The smell that woke me was coming from an overly full dumpster, the contents appearing to be the remains of rotten food and plastics. Brushing myself off, I looked down and realized I was no longer wearing my suit but a pair of jeans, brown shoes, and a blue flannel shirt. Feeling my face, I was surprised to find I wasn't wearing any glasses. Puzzled, I left the alley and wandered towards a main road clogged with traffic. At the first major window display, I caught my reflection; I looked like a combination of my two personas and, to my shock, I appeared to be around eighteen years old.

"It worked," I muttered, eyeing myself in the window reflection more out of awe than anything else. Deciding to be sure I was where I was supposed to be, I looked around and spotted a news stand a block away. Filled with purpose, I joined the masses wandering the sidewalks of the busy city and reached the stand, yanking a copy of the day's issue into my grasp.

It was a morning addition of the Daily Planet with an article written by Norm Palmer etched across the front about some murderer who'd just escaped from prison. I looked at the date. "It really did work," I muttered again, feeling quite shocked. So I was in Metropolis. I looked around at all the familiar buildings. It was nice to see that even though I'd traveled back in time that the city itself looked pretty much the same.

Racking my brains, I tried to remember where Lois might be around now. Eventually I smacked myself in the forehead. Of course! I could easily locate her just by listening for her heartbeat! Duh! I concentrated and immediately heard her. She was a few blocks away. Grinning, I set off.

I found her sitting outside a lovely little café that wasn't there in the future. As I stood on the opposite side of the street from where she sat, I couldn't help but stare. She was positively stunning. If I had set eyes on Lois in this time originally, I never would have even considered having feelings for Lana Lang. The very epitome of beauty to my eyes, Lois sat hunched over a paper pad with a pencil between her teeth. Her dark brown hair was longer than I'd ever seen it, cascading down her back in luscious loose curls. It caught in the sunlight and only with my telescopic vision could the hints of red be visible. Her hazel eyes filled with determination, Lois removed the pencil, crossed something out on her paper pad, took a swig of coffee, and replaced the pencil back between her teeth. I wondered what she was working on.

How was I going to approach her? Both Dr. Fates had sent me back here and made sure my appearance looked like the real me – the combination of each man Lois would eventually fall in love with. I couldn't walk up and introduce myself as Clark Kent! Surely that would mess with the time stream; she'd remember who I was and if I wanted things to play out the way I remembered and wanted them to, I had to be careful. But it would be almost impossible to protect her if she didn't know about my abilities and besides, the whole purpose of me being here was to stop the Time Trapper from killing her. I couldn't very well fly around as Superman; he didn't make his debut until I was an adult. What was I supposed to do? Come up with another identity? Split myself in two again? If that were the case, wouldn't the Dr. Fates have placed me back in time looking like Clark Kent? I ran my hands through my hair. This was so confusing.

I caught my reflection again as a bus pulled in my frame of vision. The ad sign on the side made me almost laugh aloud at the irony: "_be you!" _it advertised. I shook my head. But was it really such a hard thing to consider? Isn't that what I wanted all along anyway? Besides, Lois didn't have to know that eventually I'd return in her life as two entirely separate people. The two Dr. Fates _had_ sent me back here looking like Kal El. That had to be them giving me the hint to be myself, right?

The bus took off, taking the inspiring message with it. Staring up at the sky, I shrugged. "Alright, I trusted you both in coming back here. If you brought me here looking like this, I take it I'm supposed to be myself. So here goes nothing!"

Taking a deep breath, I looked across the street at my future wife and, with determination, crossed when the light turned red. An idea formulated in my head and I decided to run with it. Fate seemed to be smiling because when I reached Lois's table, her pencil fell from her mouth and hit the ground. I snatched it up.

"Thanks," Lois said, her hand reaching out to take the pencil back.

"No problem," I said, smiling as I placed it in her hand.

Her hazel eyes leapt to my face and to my pleasure I heard her heartbeat take off like a hummingbird's. A light blush crept across her cheeks and as I expected, she grew flustered. "I guess I must be really clumsy," she laughed. Embarrassed that I'd noticed the chew marks up and down the soft yellow surface of the pencil, she tried to hide it by shoving it into her bag. I smiled without judgment.

"What are you working on if you don't mind me asking?"

Eyes wide, Lois yanked on her paper pad. "Nothing much… just a puff piece. I'm a reporter for the Planet Daily – I mean – Daily Planet."

I tried to keep a straight face. "Really? I'm a reporter myself."

Lois's eyes suddenly filled with caution and her next words were rather guarded as she replied, "Are you really? What paper do you work for?"

I grinned. "Nobody yet but I was thinking of working for yours. After all, the Daily Planet is the best known paper in the world."

Lois still remained untrustworthy. "It's also the hardest paper to get a job with when you don't have much experience."

Smiling over her cleverly concealed ridicule, I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not one to back down from a challenge."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," she muttered, fishing around in her bag for another writing utensil.

"Thanks for the friendly advice," I said, feeling her eyes trying to look at me discretely through her long dark locks.

"Don't mention it," she replied.

"Hey, can I get you a refill? I know I like to be fully fueled on coffee when I'm working on a difficult piece."

She paused in her pen hunt and stared up at me with raised eyebrows. "Sure," she answered, her heart hammering against her ribcage.

I sent her one of my most charming smiles (the kind that always weaken her in the knees) and said, "Be right back," before disappearing into the café.

"Am I lucky or what?" she whispered under her breath.

I grinned, pleased. "You have no idea, sweetheart," I mumbled to myself as I ordered our usual favorites.

Emerging with hot coffee in hand, I sat the steaming mug down beside her notes. I noticed she had the chewed on pencil back out again probably because she couldn't find another one to work with.

"Thanks," she muttered, sipping the steaming liquid. "Hey! How did you know this was my favorite?" she wondered, looking up at me with pleasurable surprise.

"Oh, I guessed," I hedged, sipping my own coffee.

"Well, you're good, I'll give you that," she muttered, taking another sip. "Mmmm, that hits the spot!"

A moment of silence passed as we both sipped our coffee. I glanced at my watch. "I should probably get going."

I noticed her hazel eyes fill with disappointment. "Oh, really? Do you have somewhere you have to be?"

"I figured I'd try to get that job," I answered. "I heard it comes with a lot of _benefits._"

The blush that climbed her face told me she'd interpreted my words exactly how I'd hoped. Finishing the last of my coffee, I stood up. She reached out her hand. "Hey, thanks for buying me coffee. I owe you one."

I shook her outstretched hand and immediate arousal leapt through my body like an electric current. Denying myself the urge to snatch her up and kiss her, I smiled. "No problem."

"I'm Lois. Lois Lane."

"Kal," I introduced. "Kal El."

"Nice to meet you, Kal," she replied, staring with fascination into my blue eyes.

"Nice to meet you too, Lois."

Her heart skipped. "See you around?"

I grinned. "I'm always around."

Another skip. "Bye."

"Bye."

I walked down the sidewalk towards the Daily Planet while keeping my ears well in tune with her and everyone in the vicinity. I hadn't detected any threats but it didn't mean I shouldn't remain cautious. I suddenly remembered the scroll Dr. Fate had given me and patted my pockets until I found it in the front right pocket of my jeans. "First the Daily Planet, then Dr. Fate," I muttered to myself as I crossed the street.

I was walking through the Planet's doors when I heard Lois's voice, "Hey, Perry, it's Lois. Look, I know you're already doing me some major favors but I need to ask for one more...So there's going to be a guy coming in to get a job. Could you give it to him?...I know we're a top paper…I know it's not easy getting a job…I know the only reason I have one is because you gave it to me…look, Chief, I've got a good feeling about this guy….why? I don't know…please, Perry? Please?...Yes! You won't regret it! Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks, Chief! Bye."

I nearly skipped as I got into the elevator. Lois wanted me to work at the Planet. I guess my little idea of flirting played in my favor, I thought to myself. Patting myself on the back, I emerged into the bullpen and strode towards Perry's office door.

**AN: Yay! Another chapter finally written! Sorry it took a while. Brownie points to whoever can name the hero Lois was standing behind before the Flash appeared (hint: he transforms into a hero with a word) And remember, reviews are love! ^^**


	3. Favors and Requests

**AN: A huge thank you to all those who have favorited, followed, and for the one person who reviewed! You all make me smile! More reviews are always welcomed! :)**

03: Favors and Requests

_**Lois, Smallville**_

My eyelids fluttered open just as a car came swerving into my frame of vision. Disoriented, I fell backward, my hands scraping along the asphalt as the red Volkswagen screeched to a stop.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" a teenage girl cried as she got out of the driver's side and rushed to my aid.

"I think so," I muttered, wincing when I moved my hands.

"I didn't even see you! It was like you came out of nowhere!"

I looked around, still disoriented. "Where am I?"

The young blonde's face pulled into an alarmed frown. "You're on the main road leading into Smallville."

My eyes widened. "Smallville? Where are all the cornfields?"

The blonde laughed. "Not all of Smallville is cornfields you know. This part of town is near the forests hence the trees on either side of the road. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," I muttered, standing up and brushing the dirt carefully off my pants. I froze when I realized I wasn't wearing my bikini top and short shorts. Instead I was dressed in jeans that hiked up over my hips and a black tucked in shirt with a flowery collared shirt over the top. I finally took in the blonde's appearance and stared. She wore a skirt that started at her hips and came down to her knees with a flower print blouse tucked in with a large brown belt. The clothing was weird enough but what really startled me was that I was looking at _Chloe Sullivan_ yet she appeared to be twenty years younger than I remembered.

Then I noticed my reflection in the slightly tinted window of her car. It took everything I had not to drop my jaw on the concrete. I had always been proud of my skin in my more recent years for remaining fairly wrinkle free but even I couldn't stop the crows feet or smile/frown lines from appearing around the edges of my mouth. The reflection I stared at, however, had neither of these things. My skin was smooth, my body was more slender than I'd ever been able to get it after having Jason, and my hair was down to my waist. I hadn't had long hair like this since I was eighteen. Then it hit me; I _was _eighteen! The Dr. Fates must have cast a spell on me to make me around Clark's age in this time period!

Chloe's concerned blue eyes swept over me one more time but she decided not to comment on my alarmed expression. "I'm Chloe Sullivan," she said, holding out a hand.

"Lois Lane," I said, shaking it.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in the middle of the road?"

"I'm…not sure," I muttered, for lack of knowing what exactly to say.

"Hmmm, well, the least I can do is give you a ride home after nearly making you road kill. Come on," she said, heading back to her car.

I bit my lip. Time for a little tall tale, Lane. "Um, actually, I'm not really from around here."

Chloe paused, concerned. "Oh yeah? Where are you from?"

"Metropolis," I said automatically.

Chloe's eyes grew large. "And you walked all the way from there?"

I shook my head. "I originally took a bus but ran out of cash to take one further."

"Why are you running away?"

Think, Lane, think! It wouldn't hurt to tell her at least a sliver of truth, surely? I'd already given her my real name. Why not give her a little more? "My dad's in the military," I muttered, "They were going to make us travel overseas to France and as much as I love international travel, I didn't want to spend my last year of high school someplace foreign. Besides, I don't even speak French! My senior year was going to be an absolute nightmare! So I left."

Chloe believed me without a second thought. Shaking her head emphatically, her blonde hair dancing back and forth, she agreed. "I can't imagine doing something like that. You're really brave running away on your own."

"I've done it before," I shrugged, silently thanking all my lucky stars that she bought my story so easily.

"But, won't your dad come looking for you?"

With a flittering hand I waved off her concern. "Nah, he's too busy. I probably just have to call him and he'll hook me up wherever I decide to settle down."

Chloe bit her lip as if trying to decide something. "Why don't you settle down here?" she asked hesitantly. "Smallville may be a really small town but you're sure to have a good senior year with a smaller class than a larger one, right?"

I shrugged. "It doesn't sound like a bad idea. Sure, why not?"

Chloe grinned. "Cool! Um, do you need a place to stay? It's just my dad and I and I'm sure he won't mind giving you the guest room."

Smiling, I tried not to seem too enthused. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"Not at all! We'd love to have you!"

"Well, okay then."

I got in the car and Chloe took off, heading into Smallville. I could tell she really wanted to ask me more questions so I decided to open the conversation with one of my own. "So, where were you coming from when you nearly hit me?"

Chloe seemed to relax from the question. "I was just visiting one of my best friends. His name is Clark Kent. He lives well out of town because his parents own a farm."

My heart skipped a beat at the way she spoke of my husband…well, my future husband anyway. Her tone was soft and a small smile was on her face. Could it possibly be that Chloe had feelings for Clark? I hoped not! If so, things were going to get rather complicated.

"I don't think it will be too hard getting you into school even though the semester's already started," she said, hastily changing the subject away from Clark.

I furrowed my brow. Just what was the date? "You think?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's already the beginning of September but they should be able to squeeze you in."

Chloe drove through the small town's main street where all the shops were located. Amazing; even though I'd gone back almost twenty years, the place still looked the same. Even the old grocery store had the rocking chairs out on the porch occupied by what I swore were the same old men I'd met in my first trip to Smallville. I shook my head in disbelief.

Chloe chuckled. "I know, I know, it's not anything like Metropolis."

"You got that right," I muttered, taking in the flower shop, barber shop, and hair salon stacked right next to each other. The movie theater was one of those that only showed two movies and it stood next to the Talon which, as far as I could tell, was the only café in town.

"Do you not like it?" Chloe asked, worried.

"No, no!" I reassured her. "It's fine! Really! I just need to get used to the changes is all."

Chloe relaxed again. "Yeah, don't worry, I'll help you!"

I smiled. She seemed really eager to please me. I wondered why?

We pulled off the main road and the area transformed into a regular neighborhood, complete with kids roaming about playing tag and other outside games. Several mothers watching their children waved as we passed. Chloe waved back. "I babysit for most of the neighbors," she said. "It's a good way to get some play money."

I shook my head. "You have more tolerance than me."

"Why? You don't like kids?"

"No, it's not that. I'm great with my own; I just can't handle other people's."

Chloe's mouth dropped open and with horror I realized what I'd just said. Stupid! Jason isn't even _born_ yet! You're not even married in this time!

"You're a…?"

I shook my head, trying to save face with a small laugh. "Kidding, just kidding! Seriously though, I'm not that great with kids."

Chloe let out a breath of relief. "Oh, they're not that hard to handle," she muttered shakily.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! I mentally smacked myself. I couldn't go around blabbing stuff like that in a small town like this! The rumors would be atrocious and the likelihood of me getting close to Clark would be nigh impossible if his parents believed I was _that_ kind of girl! _Which I wasn't!_ Sure, we'd had Jason out of wedlock, but I wasn't about to leap in bed with Clark the first chance I got! Though, I had to admit, the realization that I would have to get used to sleeping alone while here was not at all my idea of fun. I was a married woman that had to pretend I wasn't in order to get close to my future husband whom I would more often than not probably unconsciously try to seduce in order to satisfy my own carnal desires. Ugh, this was going to be a lot harder than I thought!

No make out sessions? No fun staying-up-late date nights? No sex?!

This wasn't going to be fun at all!

_**Clark, Metropolis**_

"Thank you very much, Mr. White," I said, shaking the younger Perry White's hand.

Perry nodded gruffly. "Just know, boy, the only reason I'm giving you a job as a stringer is because you came recommended. I'm fully staffed as it is."

I smiled and waved off the fact that Perry had just told me point blank that if it were up to him, I wouldn't have a job at all. "Being a stringer suits my purposes just fine, Mr. White, thank you."

Perry looked at me incredulously. "You realize you won't have a regular salary with such a job; you'll only get paid depending on what you turn in and that's only when I give you an assignment."

I remained cheerful. "I understand, sir, thank you."

Perry's graying eyebrows rose. "Alright then. If there's one thing I like, it's an optimist. Welcome to the Daily Planet, kid."

I shook his hand again. "Thank you, sir."

Leaving his office, I made my way into the elevator and unconsciously hit the up button. The second the doors opened, I remembered I couldn't just fly off the way I usually did to get somewhere. Looking at the mockingly beautiful clear sky, I turned around and took the elevator down to the ground floor.

Emerging five minutes later onto the busy streets of Metropolis, I wondered how I might go about finding Dr. Fate. If Bruce had already been Batman by now, I would have been able to rush off to Gotham and use his technology to locate the man but unfortunately, if memory served me right, Bruce was gallivanting somewhere off in Europe right now. Sighing, I wracked my brains while unconsciously walking down the sidewalk.

Again, fate must have been on my side because I looked up and happened upon a billboard sporting a young magician by the name of: "Dr. Fate," I muttered, amused. The poster displayed the hero, yellow helmet and all, waving his hand over a hat filled with flowers. The advertisement was for his show which was taking place this weekend only at the Metro Theatre in downtown Metropolis. Remembering today's date from the newspaper I'd perused earlier, I realized the show was to take place in about an hour.

I pulled out my wallet which had magically transported with me back in time. The credit cards were useless, meaning my bank account didn't exist, so I was limited to the actual cash I thankfully carried with me; it was this that enabled me to buy Lois and I coffee earlier. But upon inspection, I realized I had the same amount of cash I possessed _before_ I paid for the coffee. "Interesting," I muttered, stuffing my wallet back into my pocket and heading for the Metro Theatre. "I guess the Dr. Fates made it so my cash replenishes itself while here. That's a bonus."

For a normal person, traveling from the Daily Planet to the Metro Theatre would have taken at least an hour and a half with traffic. Lucky for me, even if I was grounded, I still had super speed. Making sure the coast was clear, I turned into a blur, the wind rushing in my ears and dancing through my hair as I went. I whipped past buildings, cars, and pedestrians in seconds. I had forgotten the extra precautions I had to take when traveling this way; there was the possibility of tripping on corners from turning too sharply as well as avoiding even slightly touching anyone for fear something might break on impact.

How does Flash do it? I wondered silently as I narrowly missed hitting into the side of a truck in my haste to turn a corner. No wonder I prefer flying! The potential dangers of hurting people lessen considerably when you're up in the air!

I skidded to a halt as the Metro Theatre came into my frame of vision. By the time I stopped, I was a block away from its entrance. I rubbed my head. "Huh, I guess I over calculated…man it's been forever since I ran like this! I think the last time I did was in high school…"

Glancing at my watch, I still had about fifty five minutes before the show. Tickets cost fifteen dollars and I forked over the money when prompted by the tiller. "Enjoy the show!" she said, batting her eyelashes.

"Thanks," I muttered without giving her a second thought. I had time to kill but I felt conflicted. Should I go and catch up with Lois again or should I wait for Dr. Fate? What was I going to do, walk up to him and say 'Hey Dr. Fate, you don't know who I am but I'm from the future and your older self sent me back here to stop someone and I need your help.' Yeah, that would go down well. But I had to tell him why I needed a private audience with him. I just hoped he'd believe me.

Sighing, I decided to simply wait while keeping my ears tuned in to Lois. I discovered she was typing away at the Daily Planet. I smiled. That woman; even as a young lady she worked harder than any other employee. I was just beginning to relax when the alarms of a bank three blocks down rang in my ears. Without thinking, I leapt up, rushed into an alley, and jumped while yanking on my shirt…only to find my suit wasn't underneath. I was already in the air, fifteen feet above the ground, when I made the discovery.

Confused only for a moment, I growled in frustration. "Superman doesn't exist here, remember?" I muttered to myself. Thankful that nobody was peering in the alley or on the street, I descended and thought quickly about what to do. I couldn't just let the robbers get away! But I also couldn't rush on the scene without giving away who I was. Then an idea came to mind. I ran so fast that nobody could really see me, not even if someone attempted to catch it on technological devices. What would be so bad about blurring onto the scene, stopping the bad guys, and booking it out of there before anyone really knew what happened?

Grinning, I rushed out of the alley at super speed just as the first sound of bullets reached my ears. I arrived at the bank to find the robbers had already collected the cash and were making a scene by firing their guns in any and all directions. Leaping through the air, I collected all the bullets, landed, dumped them on the asphalt, snatched up and bent each gun in half, and tied up all three robbers with a street sign, pushing them gently so they tottered backwards onto the sidewalk. The police cars pulled up just as I blurred around the corner. I stopped to listen.

"What on earth happened here?" an officer said, bewildered.

The robbers were shouting profanities while innocent bystanders stared just as puzzled as the cops at their predicament. I laughed quietly to myself before scanning the inside of the bank to make sure nobody was hurt. All was well; a few were shaken, but that was the worst of it.

"What the heck happened?" one of the robbers cried as he wrestled uselessly to get his arms free.

I peeked around the corner just as a cop bent down and picked up one of the guns. "Harry, take a look at this!" he called.

"What is it, Joe? Holy moley, what happened to that gun?"

"It's not just this one," Joe said, "look!"

Harry and Joe stared incredulously at each other for several seconds after surveying the area.

"Better call this one in," Harry muttered while Joe nodded.

Feeling pleased with myself at not being seen at all, I headed back to the Theatre whistling the whole way.

_**Lois, Smallville**_

I stared for several minutes at the phone in my hands. Chloe had politely bullied me into calling my dad to let him know where I was as well as getting permission to go to school in Smallville. I wasn't particularly afraid of my dad; I was terrified of how I was going to convince him to not only let me go to school but also give me the funds I would need to live while here. I sighed. "Here goes nothing."

Ring. Ring. Ring.

My heart hammered in my chest.

Ring. Ring.

"General Lane's office," said the cool voice of a snippy secretary.

I swallowed. "Um…yes…I need to talk to the General please."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"I'm his daughter," I replied rather testily. I usually got snappish when nervous.

"Of course you are," the secretary said.

I ground my teeth together. That little–! She was mocking me! "Look, sister, I'm in no mood to play games with you!" I snapped, my temper getting the best of me. "Put me on the phone with the General this instant or else I'll be sure you get a mark so black on your record that no army will ever want to do business with you again!"

"Idle threats won't –"

"Cut the bull–"

The line clicked and a rather haggard voice interrupted me. "Lois, what on earth do you want?"

I paused. My father didn't sound too happy. "Hi Daddy," I muttered, slightly embarrassed about getting caught cussing his secretary out over the phone. "I wondered if I could ask a favor."

My father didn't answer for a long time. I waited a whole minute before he asked, "And what could you possibly want from me? You're the one who ran away without so much as a goodbye."

I raised my eyes in dismay. Silently cursing my younger self for being so pigheaded, I sighed. "Daddy, I'm sorry – and coming from me that means a lot since you know I don't usually apologize."

A sigh, "What do you need, Lois?"

No need to beat around the bush, right? "I need your permission to go to school," I said in a rush.

"_What?! School?!"_ my father cried incredulously. "I thought you said you didn't need to complete your education to become a journalist."

"Well, I was wrong," I said hastily.

My father harrumphed. I bit my tongue so as not to say something I'd rather regret. He seemed to be calming down and in order for me to get what I wanted I needed to play it cool. "I told you so," he muttered.

"I know you did," I replied, trying hard not to snap back. "Daddy, I'm in Smallville, Kansas. I want to go to high school here."

"Why on earth would you want to go to school in a place called Smallville? Wait, don't tell me this is because of some boy!"

I wanted to bang my head against the wall. I was married for heaven's sake! Oh, but he doesn't know that. Duh. Technically it _was_ for a boy but my dad didn't need to know that. "No," I lied smoothly. "I just want to get the best education that I can so I can be a great journalist."

"Fine, who am I to complain about my estranged daughter wanting to finish her education?" my dad replied. "I'll send a fax to the school saying you're attending. Let me guess, you'd like funds so you can hang out on the weekends with friends?"

I shut my mouth and shook my head. My dad knew my teenage self really well. I'd forgotten how easily he could read me. "Please," I confessed stiffly.

"Fine, I'll put more money in your account."

If he did that it wouldn't go to me but my other self that already existed here! The last thing I needed was for my other self (who was already working in Metropolis for the Planet) to see funds pouring into her already hefty account. "Wait!" I cried, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

"What? You don't want the money?"

"No, I do, I could really use it," I confessed, "but I wondered if you could make an entirely separate account I could access? For budgeting purposes..."

My dad found this strange from the small gruff noise he made with his nose but he didn't press the subject. "Alright, fine. I'll make sure you have access to a bank account attached to the Smallville bank. Lucky for you, I already have an account there."

"You do?" I questioned, surprised.

"Reserve fund," my dad hedged. "There's a base in the next town I stayed in for a brief time before I met your mother. The nearest bank was in Smallville so I had an account made. I've kept it open for just in case matters. I never would have guessed I'd be loaning it out to you though. There's five hundred thousand in there."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh, wow, thank-"

"Lois!" he cut me off.

"Yeah, Daddy?"

"Don't you dare think about spending all of it, young lady, or I will personally travel to Smallville and bring your sorry hide back to Washington!"

"Yes, sir," I said sincerely. "Thanks Daddy! I love you!"

There was a pause. "I love you too, Lo," he muttered softly.

Before I could say more, he hung up. I looked down at the phone and stiffened as I suddenly remembered the whole reason I left home in the first place was because Dad and I had a falling out. Wracking my brains, I couldn't pinpoint when we got over the argument we'd had. All I remembered was that about a year after I'd left, my Dad came to visit me in Metropolis and we'd had a good time sharing coffee before he had to run again.

"Weird," I muttered. I'd never given much thought to how we'd gotten back together then but now that I thought about it, I couldn't for the life of me remember how it happened.

Chloe burst upon my confused thoughts by opening the door. "Hey, I knocked but you didn't answer. Are you okay?"

I blinked a couple times before smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Chloe smiled back before leaping onto the bed next to me. "So, what's the verdict?"

"You're looking at the next attendee of Smallville High," I announced.

Chloe let out a pleased cry as she wrapped her arms around me. "I'm so glad! You're going to love Smallville High, Lois! It's a great school and you'll get to know everyone in no time!"

I smiled, cheered by her enthusiasm. My smile slid a little from my face. "We don't have to wear uniforms, do we?"

Chloe laughed and shook her head, her short blonde hair flapping back and forth. "We're not a boarding school, Lois."

"Thank goodness," I relaxed. "I hate those."

"We're going to need to get you some clothes," Chloe muttered, tapping her chin. "There's several shops in town we could look at."

"What? No! Chloe, you've already done so much for me," I muttered hastily. "I couldn't expect more from you!"

"Nonsense! I need something to do this weekend anyway. Even though the town is small the clothing stores are really cute! What do you say?"

I sighed, giving in. "Fine," I said, smiling.

"Sweet! Oh, Dad wanted me to tell you the pizzas are here."

I shook my head. Chloe and her dad, Simon, were the kindest people – besides Martha and Clark – that I had ever met. Maybe everyone in Smallville was this genuine? "Chloe, how can I ever repay you?"

She gave me a hug before shooing me towards the door. "You can thank my by eating! I surely can't eat two pizzas by myself!"

_**Clark, Metropolis**_

The show had been over for half an hour. I was waiting in the alley out back, my x-ray vision locked in on Dr. Fate; he was known for using his own magic portals as an exit more frequent than actual doors. He'd been talking to several members of the Theatre for a while now, politely declining staying on an extra week for personal reasons. The Theatre manager was trying very hard to get him to change his mind.

"I'm sorry, but I have another appointment to attend to," Dr. Fate muttered, waving them off and heading for his dressing room.

Something told me he was going to make a secret break for it once that door was closed. Using super speed, I bolted through backstage, knocking several props over in my haste. I managed to slip inside right before Dr. Fate's dressing room door clicked shut. I settled into an armchair and waited for him to notice me.

Almost immediately his glowing eyes locked onto my blue ones. "My, my," he muttered. "You're not from around here, are you?"

I smiled and stood up. "Clark Kent, Superman, or Kal-El," I introduced. "Where I come from, we're really good friends."

Dr. Fate shook my hand. "So I see," he muttered. "You already exist here but we don't actually cross paths until later in life."

I nodded. "Thanks in advance for all the help you're going to give me."

"A small token for the good you will do for this world, Superman," Dr. Fate replied. "I have some inclination as to why you are here after reading your fate."

"I was told by your future selves to give you this," I said, pulling out the lead-lined scroll. "It's for your eyes only."

Dr. Fate took it and broke the seal by running his hand across the edge. A faint little glow followed his fingers. Unfurling the note, he gazed at it intently before nodding silently. Rolling it back up, he ran his hand across the surface, sealing the scroll once more. "Your tasks will definitely define what course history takes, Superman. My future selves have written everything I must do. I will aid you but from the shadows. You will not know I am there until the opportune moment presents itself."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing that it's pointless to ask what it is you're supposed to do."

Dr. Fate nodded. "It is for me alone to know but trust me when I promise you, Superman, you and Lois will be safe. Of that I can assure you whole heartedly."

"Thank you," I said, shaking his hand again. "Well, see you when I see you, I guess."

Dr. Fate nodded. "May fate smile fortune upon you while you journey in this time."

I smiled before making for the exit. I couldn't deny that I was a little frustrated from all this secrecy but years of experience with magic had taught me not to trifle with it. If Dr. Fate said he was going to help, I believed him. Deciding to catch up with Lois for the evening, I sped back to the Planet so I could meet her right when she walked out the doors.

Sure enough, she pushed her way out into the street. Once catching sight of me, her eyes lit up. "Oh, hi!" she called, making her way over.

"Hello," I said pleasantly.

Pushing a long wavy curl out of her face, she timidly asked, "So, did you get the job?"

"Actually I did. Perry hired me on as a stringer."

"That's a start," Lois said, trying not to sound too pleased.

I nodded. "Yeah and I actually already have a story."

Lois perked up. "Oh, do you? Mind sharing?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why, Miss Lane, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to scoop me."

Lois blushed but pretended to look appalled. "Of course I wouldn't do that! I'm not that low."

I stared her down. She crumbled immediately. "Alright, fine!" she snapped, upset. "I just want something to help me climb my way up the ladder a little, alright?" She paused but I didn't say a word. Looking dejected at the ground, she muttered, "I'm sorry, Kal. You probably think I'm lower than low, huh? Trying to steal your first story…who does that?"

She started walking away. I reached out and gently took her shoulder. "Lois, I want you to have the story."

She spun around. "Excuse me?"

I smiled at her disbelieving look. Her adorable hazel eyes were wide with surprise, her beautifully curved lips parted in astonishment. I loved that look; it was similar to the one she'd given me the first time I'd rescued her. "Come with me," I muttered, pulling her closer.

Her heart hammered in her chest. She was so adorably vulnerable! I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up in my arms and carry her away but now was not the time. The situation was delicate. I didn't want to overload her with too much. Might as well dangle a teaser of who I really was by telling her the story; the main course of showing her would come later.

Keeping her hand in mine, I gently guided her down the street to a more secluded restaurant that was open this time of night. Lois didn't protest as we went inside; her journalistic curiosity had seized control of her judgment. Not that I was going to do anything, of course. I wasn't insensitive enough to haul her away in my clutches and try to make love to her even if she eventually would become my wife. No, though I wanted nothing more than to indulge in such fantasies, this Lois was my past Lois and I refused to do anything to make her feel uneasy. I may not be able to show my love for her like a husband would but I was able to show my love for her in more appropriate ways. She was my princess and I was her knight. I had to win her hand the same way I had before – and lucky for me, I'd played being the knight far longer than being the husband. I knew everything that had to be done in order to get Lois to love and trust me completely. It helped that after living with her for a year, I knew her habits, her likes, her dislikes, as well as her romantic tendencies. If I played my cards right, things would definitely work out in my favor.

We secured a table in a secluded area. Lois looked positively antsy about hearing what I had to share but held it in until the waiter disappeared to get our drinks. Ignoring the menu completely, she leapt into the fray as soon as opportunity struck. "Okay, spill, why do you want to give me the story?"

I smiled but avoided her gaze, taking my time as I surveyed the menu. I could tell she was getting annoyed but I couldn't help myself; she was adorable to tease after all. "There was a bank robbery downtown today."

I peered up to find her slouching in disappointment. "A bank robbery isn't anything new," she muttered, disgruntled.

"It is because the robbers didn't make it two steps out of the bank without getting caught," I said.

She raised an eyebrow. "The cops take at least five to ten minutes to get to a robbery unless they're already in the area. So you're saying that either the cops were on scene or some random pedestrian dared and somehow succeeded in being a hero."

I grinned. "The latter, Miss Lane."

Lois sighed. "Kal, you have to give me something better than that! Perry won't even print it."

"Oh, but I think he'll find this hero rescue quite worth printing," I said just as our drinks arrived. I hid my grin behind my lemonade as I watched Lois sip her orange juice.

Waving off the waiter for more time, Lois gulped down a few more bits of orange juice. "Okay, mister, what are you hiding?"

I described the scene from a journalist's point of view. By the time I'd finished, Lois was on the edge of her seat, her orange juice long gone.

"Are you sure you saw what you saw?" she muttered.

I smiled patiently. "Yes, Lois. If you want to credit it, talk to Harry Fenders and Joe Mendenhold. They were the police who arrived on scene after the anomaly occurred."

Lois leaned back in her chair, food long forgotten. I noticed our waiter looking over at us with displeasure. He'd been to our table three times only to have Lois shoo him away. He caught my eye and I motioned for him to come over. Thankfully Lois was thinking so deeply that she didn't notice him this time. I ordered dessert for both of us and sent the man on his way. He still seemed irritated but went to the kitchen to carry out the order, muttering about stupid teenagers under his breath.

"Kal, what do you think really happened?" Lois asked.

I shrugged, finishing off my lemonade. "I have a theory but you might laugh at it."

"Try me," Lois challenged.

"Alright…I think it was a person."

Lois stared and then burst out laughing. "You're kidding, right?"

I kept a small smile on my face as I muttered, "I knew you'd laugh."

"Well, obviously! Wait, you aren't serious?" she said, stopping in mid-laugh over the look on my face.

"Of course I am, Lois. But you can't take my word for it."

"Oh come on, Kal! A person can't move that fast, stop bullets, and bend guns in two like putty!"

"Whatever you say, Lois," I shrugged just as two bowls of vanilla ice cream topped with a brownie and chocolate syrup were set before us.

"Will that be all?" the waiter asked.

"Yeah, thanks," I said.

"The bill, sir," he said, setting the black book next to me before walking away.

Lois raised her eyebrows, her eyes filled with wonder. "This is one of my favorites! How did you know?"

I shrugged. "I didn't. I can never say no to a brownie drowning in chocolate and ice cream."

Lois laughed, digging into her dessert while I discretely paid the bill. "When did you even order this?" she said after swallowing a mouthful of brownie.

"While you were busy thinking about the story I just gave you."

Lois paused. "Kal, as glad as I am that you trust me with this information, I'm not sure I can write it. I wasn't there to see the Blur in action."

"The Blur?"

"Yeah, you know, the strange thing that stopped the robbery?"

I stared. "You named it the Blur?"

Lois immediately raised her defenses. "And what's so wrong with that?"

I tried to keep a straight face as I shook my head. "Nothing."

"You think it's stupid!"

Instead of answering I took another bite of brownie. Lois glowered at me for several moments, waiting for me to cave and admit my thoughts. I wasn't going to let her win though. I didn't like the name much even if I did look like a blur running around.

"I could always call it the Haze," Lois mused, licking her spoon.

I froze. "I like the Blur. It sounds cool."

"I thought so," she said triumphantly.

Of course I wasn't going to agree with the Haze. What kind of a dumb name was that?!_ Look out! It's the Haze! _No, the Blur seemed much more fearsome than the Haze, thank you very much. Scowling that Lois had cornered me into liking her original title, I finished my ice cream.

"Awww, come on, Kal," Lois teased, poking my arm in the side as we left the restaurant a couple minutes later. "It's not that bad of a name! Are you angry that I didn't let you name whatever it is? It is your story after all."

I sighed and despite myself, felt a smile climbing my face. "No, your title suits him just fine."

Lois smiled and stopped when we came to a crossroad. "Well, I live that way," she said, pointing up the street.

"May I walk you home?" I asked.

Lois' heart skipped a beat but she kept her voice steady as she replied, "Sure, if it's no trouble."

"It's no trouble at all, Lois," I assured.

I made sure not to take her hand or advance too much on her despite the obvious attraction we were both feeling. To distract from the underlying currents of desire, I made small talk, asking about what Lois thought of the Daily Planet and Metropolis. By the time we got to her apartment, she was relaxed. That disappeared altogether when we reached her front door. Lois put the key in the lock but hovered. I wasn't going to oblige her obvious desires however. I knew that deep down Lois didn't like to rush into relationships; when she did it always ended in disaster. I did, however, give her just enough to show I was interested.

"Thank you for the pleasant evening, Lois," I said kindly.

"I had a great time," she muttered, continuing to hover while searching my eyes.

"Make sure to write that story before it goes cold," I advised, taking a step back.

"But I don't think I can," she argued, stepping forward unconsciously. "I wasn't there!"

"Lois, just because you weren't there at a scene doesn't mean you should let a story go cold. There's something to this. I'd hate for another reporter to scoop you out of Metropolis's next big headline. Call the police department, go to the scene where the crime took place and interview the bank tillers. You'll find the story I shared really does exist."

Lois sighed. "Are you sure it's okay that I take this one? It could be your big break."

"And it could be yours. Another big story will come along and when it does, I'll take that one. This one, Lois, belongs to you." In more ways than you know, I added silently.

She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Alright but don't think this means I'll do you any favors in the future. I'm not as kind."

I smiled. Taking her hand, I bent low and kissed the back of it. "Good night, Lois," I said, releasing her hand.

Her face was as red as a cherry. Her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. It took her a moment to find her voice. "Good night, Kal," she whispered, dazed.

I waited until she shut the door before making my way down the hall to a window. Sliding open the sill, I maneuvered in the air in such a way that I was neck in neck with the building's outcroppings. Settling in, I was pleased to find that nobody would notice I was there unless the apartment residents deliberately stuck their heads out the window and looked right or left. Feeling that chance to be very unlikely this time of year, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.


	4. Adjustments

04: Adjustments

_**Lois, Smallville**_

We went to the bank first thing in the morning to find my dad had pulled all the strings. The banker handed me a card, already made with my name on it. I wondered how much arm-twisting my dad had to do in order for all of this to be ready for my use less than twenty four hours after my phone call with him. I guess it's nice to have friends in the Pentagon, I silently mused as I took the card and headed out to meet Chloe.

"Wow, you already got your card?" she asked in disbelief. "Those usually take a week to arrive in the mail! Your dad must know some important people."

"I guess so," I grinned. "So, shopping?"

"Right! There's this lovely little place called Radioactive just up the road. Let's go there first. They usually have some cute things."

Radioactive did turn out to be a good store if you're interested in clothes that were twenty years back in time from what I was used to. I didn't much enjoy the style of the late nineties but at least it was better than other alternatives. Unlike the present day where everything was rather form-fitting, the clothes of the late nineties were rather loose. Chloe made me try on so many things I felt like I'd tried on half the store before putting my foot down and buying five outfits I felt comfortable with. They were a combination of skirts, blouses, jeans, kakis, and one pair of sweats that I was adamant about owning. Chloe didn't seem to approve but I simply shook my head and muttered, "Trust me, when my little friend visits, sweatpants become my greatest ally."

After Radioactive, we went to another shop called the Blue Who. I ended up liking a lot of the stuff in this store, purchasing six more outfits to add to the ones I'd already bought at Radioactive. They were the same in styles of flowery blouses, plain blouses, skirts that started at the waist and went down to the knee, a pair of loose dark denims, and I even agreed to buy a skort.

Chloe managed to pin me down into buying three different outfits involving plaid in a store called Red-n-Happy. "This is Smallville," she argued. "Everyone has to own several plaid outfits! It's an unspoken law!"

"Fine," I caved, buying a plaid burnt orange skirt and two plaid shirts, one red, the other green. They'd match other things I'd bought from the other stores; this was the only thing that compensated me purchasing them.

We then went into a shoe store that also sold accessories of all kinds. We emerged from the place with five different pairs of shoes and a handful of colorful accessories to match the outfits I'd bought. I wanted nothing more than to curl up in Chloe's car and take a nap but the blonde insisted that we shop for several warmer weather things since winter was coming and the warm clothes were in. Dragging me into a store called Fuzzies, Chloe loaded me down with ten sweaters, three winter coats, fifteen scarves, and five hat and glove combinations. It was a good thing I liked everything she picked out because at the time I couldn't care less whether the stuff looked good on me or not. All I wanted was to lock myself in my room back at her house and be dead to the world for the next three hours.

Most graciously, Chloe got the hint and took me home. She didn't seem the least bit upset when I politely asked if I could have the next few hours to myself. In fact, she was quite happy at the suggestion. "My friends want to go see a movie tonight," she explained. "You can come if you want."

I looked at the clock. It was seven thirty. Shaking my head, I smiled. "I'm really tired, Chloe. I think I'm just going to take a shower and then be dead to the world until tomorrow."

"That's fine," she said understandingly.

"Thank you very much for today," I said, meaning it completely.

"It was my pleasure! You're fun to shop with Lois," she complimented. "It's easy to shop with someone who's so sure of what they do and don't like."

I smiled. "When you get to be my age you have things figured out about yourself pretty well."

Chloe took it as a joke. "If only all eighteen year olds could be like you," she teased, chuckling.

I laughed with her, hoping that it didn't seem panicked. I'd slipped up again! I needed to be more careful especially when I was tired! Thankfully Chloe didn't seem to think more of what I said because she left me to myself and headed off to meet her friends. Sighing, I headed for the shower and then off to bed, thinking of the coming day and secretly longing to have Clark's strong arms around me. This was the second night I'd have to spend entirely without Clark. I grabbed a pillow and pulled it close, imagining his warmth and smooth invulnerable skin.

"Good night, honey," I whispered into the pillow, kissing it softly. "I miss you."

I closed my eyes and drifted off to lonely sleep.

_**Clark, Metropolis**_

I was walking towards the Daily Planet with two coffee cups in hand when Lois's heartbeat picked up erratically. Spreading out my hearing to include her voice, I froze.

"Hey! Let go!"

Without thought, I dropped the coffee and sped off. Two men had hold of Lois and were in the process of dragging her into an alley. I had to slow down a little so as not to rip them to smithereens as I gently grabbed their arms and pushed them away from Lois. They flew into the garbage bags collected in the alley and did not reemerge. I came to a stop, skidding a few feet while leaving a trail of fire in my wake. Lois stood there with her jaw hanging open, her finger pointed at me in disbelief.

"I-It's you?" she stuttered. "You're the Blur?!"

I didn't know what else to do so I laughed, embarrassed. "Sorry I didn't say anything yesterday. I guess I just wanted to hear your thoughts first." My embarrassment passed and I searched her over with genuine concern. "Lois, are you hurt?"

She shook her head but then winced.

"You're bleeding!" I exclaimed, blurring to her side. She jumped in shock but didn't run away as I examined her shoulder. One of the men must have had a knife in his hand when I tossed him away. Using x-ray vision, I determined the cut wasn't too deep. A normal bandage would do. "I'll be back in a moment," I said and before she could even blink, I ran to the grocery store and back again with gauze in hand.

"Where did you –? You didn't steal that, did you?" she asked as I rolled up her sleeve and set to work bandaging up her wound.

"Of course not," I said evenly. "I don't steal."

"But how did you buy it so fast?" she wondered.

"I left the exact amount sitting on the counter," I said offhand.

"That's almost like stealing," Lois muttered.

I was about to say the city knew it would have been Superman buying something but then I remembered again that Superman had yet to exist. Sighing, I muttered, "Sorry. I was only thinking about making sure you were safe. I tend to act irrational when in a hurry."

I seemed to have said the right thing because her face softened. "You were worried about me?"

"Of course I was."

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

A faint blush crept up my cheeks as I admitted, "I was listening in."

Lois was perplexed at first but then her mind started working the way it usually did when trying to piece together a puzzle. "You obviously can move very fast," she muttered to herself as I finished wrapping her injury. "And from what you said you must hear things from far away…" I nodded. Her eyes began to shine with that determination I loved so dearly. "There's more, isn't there?"

"Yes, there's more," I agreed, "but I think you might want to get that article in your bag to Perry first before we talk."

"How did you –?" she began but then stopped as her eyes narrowed. "Can you read minds?"

I chuckled as I replied, "No."

"Then how did you know about the article?"

I tapped my finger off to the side of one of my eyes. "X-ray vision."

Lois got a devious little glint in her eyes. "Oh, really? What color of underwear am I wearing then?"

It took everything I had not to burst out laughing. Same old Lois. I x-rayed her and this time I almost slipped and cracked a smile.

"I'm sorry, did I embarrass you?" she teased.

This was almost an exact repeat of our first interview on the roof. The only thing missing was the scenery and the lead planter between us. I smiled kindly and shook my head. "Not at all, Lois. It's pink, to answer your question."

Lois's eyes widened like a frightened deer and she yanked her purse up to her chest.

"I'm sorry, did I embarrass _you?_" I asked.

Lois's temporary display of true emotion hid behind an iron mask of journalism. "Not in the slightest," she said firmly. "Can you turn that ability on and off?"

I nodded. "Don't worry Lois; I'm not a peeping tom."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Good! Because if you were…." – she cracked one set of knuckles then cleared her throat – "Come on, I need to get that article to Perry and then we _really_ need to talk."

She turned on her heel and I followed her, grinning. Yep, same old Lois. We made it three blocks before she spoke again. "Do you like pink?" she asked, hesitant.

I smiled. Her vulnerability always shone through whenever she wanted to impress me. Even after a year of marriage, that hadn't changed. This vulnerability was part of the romantic Lois was and I adored it. We came to a stop at a crosswalk and it was the perfect moment for me to look her right in the eyes. "I like pink very much, Lois."

Her heart thudded loudly in my ears as a light blush colored her cheekbones. She looked positively endearing. Turning her gaze back to the street she muttered to the ground, "Oh, good," in a relieved sort of way.

I tried to keep the smile from my face as we went into the Daily Planet. I haunted the break room while Lois went in to talk to Perry. I decided not to eavesdrop; I trusted this Lois just as much as the one I was married to. I did keep my ear tuned in to her heart though. It was beating steadily in its usual rhythmic pattern. Several minutes ticked by and I was halfway through a cup of coffee when Lois reappeared at my side.

I smiled in greeting. "How did it go?"

"You didn't listen in?" she whispered, somewhat accusingly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Lois, just because I have the ability doesn't mean I eavesdrop. No, I didn't listen in."

She seemed surprised by that. "It went well. Perry said he'd read through it and if he likes it, it'll print."

"Great!" I cheered.

Lois, however, didn't share my enthusiasm. Taking me by the arm, she muttered, "We need to ."

I allowed her to herd me through the bullpen and into the elevator. Once the doors were closed and we found ourselves alone, she pushed the up button that would take us to the roof. How ironic! The second the doors dinged open a cool September breeze ruffled our clothes. Lois marched over to lean against the banister with her arms folded, looking at me expectantly.

Suddenly feeling myself slipping involuntarily into my Clark Kent persona under her hawk-like gaze, I stuttered slightly, "Um w-where should I begin?"

"How about the beginning?" she slightly snapped.

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, I think it would be easier to tell you what you want to know if you asked questions."

She raised an eyebrow. "Like an interview?"

"Sure but off the record for now, if that's okay."

Lois pursed her lips but then nodded. "Okay. Are you human?"

"No."

I waited for a possible racing heart or dilated gaze but like before, she took the news in stride. "What are you then?" she asked, her tone filled with nothing but curiosity.

"I'm from the planet Krypton."

"What are you doing here?"

I walked over and hopped up to sit on the banister. She decided to join me, completely unafraid of the lethal several hundred foot drop behind us. I sighed as I looked up at the sky. Puffy white clouds lazily drifted through the hemisphere.

"Krypton was destroyed when I was just a baby. My father, Jor-El, was a scientist who saw the signs of the planet's imminent destruction. He tried to warn the Kryptonian council but they didn't believe him and made him swear to keep his opinion to himself. They also forbade him and my mother, Lara, from leaving the planet. They didn't however forbid my departure. I wasn't even a month old when my parents placed me in the spaceship that brought me here to Earth. I won't tell you where but know that I was raised like a human and consider myself to be one of you. You're the only race I've ever known and loved. My powers are a result of the yellow sun; my cells drink in its radiation and give me a super charge if you will. I've decided to use my abilities to help others and I never kill anyone. I strive merely to keep the peace since I value life a lot more than most would for obvious personal reasons."

I chanced a glance at her and found sympathy, respect, and a hint of adoration in her brilliant hazel eyes. She dared to place a hand over mine. I relaxed immediately from her touch.

"You're really brave," she said, her gaze locked with mine. "It must have been hard growing up an outsider."

I shrugged, deciding to dim down the utter loneliness I experienced in my youth. "It wasn't so bad. Sure, I was terrified as each ability developed but it was easier to deal with when I knew why I was different from everyone else."

Lois removed her hand and placed it back in her lap. "So what are your abilities exactly?"

"Well, you already know about the super speed, super hearing, and x-ray vision. I also have heat vision, super breath, and super strength. Oh, and I'm invulnerable and when I feel like it, I can fly."

Lois blinked. "You can fly?"

I nodded as a dreamy look crossed my face. "It's the best feeling in the world."

Lois bit her lip and muttered, "I'd like to know what that feels like."

I hopped down from the banister and held out my hand. "How about I give you a demonstration?"

She stared. "Now?!"

"Sure! It's as good a time as any. There are plenty of clouds so people won't see us. If I go straight up, we'll be covered pretty quickly."

Lois swallowed, her heart racing. She chewed a little on her thumbnail before making a decision and sliding from the banister onto the roof. "Okay," she muttered.

Almost as if it was instinct, she took her shoes off, placed her feet on top of mine, and gripped my forearms tightly. "Ready when you are," she muttered, her heart hammering away.

"Don't worry," I assured. "I won't let anything happen to you."

She nodded. Raw pleasure ruptured through every cell in my body as I slowly took off. Oh, how great it felt to fly again! Sure, I'd flown last night but that was different from this. Flying while the sun beat down upon my skin was so much more enjoyable than floating under a balcony window in the dark. Lois gasped and tightened her hold on me, drawing in closer to my chest. "Wow! You're really warm," she observed.

I smiled. "I guess I forgot to mention I'm impervious to the weather; I stay the same temperature all the time."

"So you don't feel that it's twice as cold up here as it is down there?"

I shook my head. "Hang on, we're about to go into the clouds."

Lois plastered herself to me and gasped unpleasantly as she was soaked in seconds. We emerged into a burst of glorious sun rays but while I relished the radiation, Lois's teeth chattered as she shivered in my arms.

"Oh, Lois, I'm sorry," I muttered, silently cursing that I didn't have a cape! It always protected Lois from this kind of thing in the past… well, future. Whatever. "Hang on," I said.

Concentrating my heat vision, I pulled her away from me just enough to get the rays all the way down her body. Lois's heart constricted before picking up speed from the strange encounter. This was the same reaction that the Lois in the future had whenever I would do this. I remembered that she told me it was a weird way she was aroused. Oops; forgot that little detail. It was obvious from the way Lois had closed her eyes that she too was fighting the feelings I'd just stirred. I decided to play ignorant.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed, her response coming out in a slight gasp. Trying to distract herself, she looked around. "Wow, it's beautiful up here! You get to see this all the time?! I'm jealous."

I smiled and turned my gaze to the clouds and the sun beyond. "There's nothing like watching a sunset from this viewpoint."

"I bet. Hey, we should watch it tonight!" But then she added hastily, "That is, if it's okay with you?"

"Sure, that's fine," I said, pleased. Apparently I'd won Lois over easier than I'd thought! It had taken less than twenty four hours! Then again, I was being my true self and Lois had often told me after we were married that if she had known both personas from the beginning, she would have fallen for me a lot faster than before. That had obviously come true.

"Kal?"

"Yes, Lois?"

"Why are you sharing all of this with me?"

I looked back at her. She was staring at my chest, unable to look me in the eyes. I wanted so badly to tell her it was because I loved her more than life itself but I had to hold back. I decided to settle with the truth but not in the words I originally would have liked had the situation been different. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

I heard Lois's breath hitch as she hesitantly asked, "Have you shared this with anyone else?"

"Yes but none of them are you, Lois. You're different."

She looked into my eyes then, her hazel pools open so I could see into the deepest longing of her soul. I saw need there; a need to be reassured of how special she was particularly to me. "I am?"

I nodded fervently. "Yes. The others may know what I am but you're the first person I've ever told that has accepted me wholeheartedly from the beginning."

She smiled, clearly pleased. "As far as I can tell, you have a good heart, Kal. That's all that matters to me."

I raised an eyebrow. "You've only known me for a day, Lois."

"And I've never known anyone to show so much of who they really are in so short a time," Lois replied. "You don't seem the type to lie and besides, if you were a liar, then this is a really good magic trick." I laughed and she soon joined me. "I think we both know that's not true," she said between giggles.

I looked deeply into her eyes, unable to hide the admiration and joy she brought to me from my expression. "Thank you, Lois."

"You're welcome. You know, I hope you stick around Metropolis. This city could really use a hero."

I grinned. "Well, I'm always around."

"Good," she muttered, smiling back. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"If you can fly, why don't you do that more often? Why are you the Blur? You seem more like a Superman to me."

I nearly snorted as I tried to keep my face from splitting in two. "Well, if people saw a flying man, I'm sure they'd freak out. Not everyone is Lois Lane after all."

Lois mulled that over. "That makes sense I guess. So we'll continue to call you the Blur in any future articles we write."

"That sounds fair. But, Lois, can we keep my heritage a secret? I kind of want to remain mysterious."

"Oh, sure!" she said eagerly. "It'll make the papers sell even more – if Perry will approve of the articles that is."

I grinned, tuning in to Perry in time to hear him yelling for Lois. "I think that won't be much of a problem. Perry wants to see you."

"How do you – oh, right, super hearing. Does he sound mad?"

I shook my head. "Eager, actually."

"Then he likes the article! Kal, we need to get down there!"

"Alright, hang on tight."

She did as requested and I descended straight down. We passed through the clouds and landed on the Daily Planet roof in less than a minute. Lois was soaked again. "Um, do you want me to…?" I gestured to my eyes.

Lois didn't seem to trust herself but after a moment of indecision, she nodded. I turned on the heat vision and went up and down her body. Again, her heart picked up erratically and her cheeks flushed a brilliant pinkish hue. I tried to ignore the wild desire in her eyes as she muttered a hurried, "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Alright, I won't tell him anything about your heritage or your powers," she promised heading for the exit. "We'll figure those out as we go."

"Sounds good to me," I agreed.

She paused, her hand on the door handle. "Um, do you want to head out for lunch after I get done talking to Perry?" she asked hesitantly, her heart still beating wildly in her chest.

"I'd like that very much, Lois. I'll wait for you in the lobby downstairs."

"Okay!" she beamed.

It took everything I had to keep myself from floating as I took the elevator to the ground floor.

_**Lois, Smallville**_

My heart beat wildly in my chest. It was Monday morning. The weekend had passed in the blink of an eye – faster than I cared to admit. I never would have thought I'd be this nervous about going back to high school. The problem was I wasn't terrified of having to sit through things I'd already learned; I was terrified of a certain 6"4 tall, pale, and handsome.

"I don't think I can do this," I muttered to my reflection.

Contrary to the persona I publically displayed, I was rather weak-kneed when it came to Clark. I wasn't as strong as he was at trying to pretend. After we got married, it had taken _months_ before I was able to put on a mask when around Superman. I shuddered, remembering the horrible rumors that spread around in the tabloids during that time. Clark and I had to make our affection for each other very publically known so as to throw people off the trail of any "cheating scandal". If it had taken months to hide my feelings for Superman and openly display my love for Clark, how on earth was I going to stop myself from leaping into his arms and kissing him senseless the moment I saw him?

"I'm in big trouble," I mumbled just as Chloe knocked on my door.

"Lois, are you ready?" she called.

"Coming!" I shouted over my shoulder. I gave myself a once over. Due to the cooler weather, I'd decided to go with a green sweater and a knee length black skirt with knee high black boots. Picking up my solid red backpack filled with binders, paper, notebooks, and pens, I opened my bedroom door to find Chloe standing on the other side.

"Wow, you look great!" she complimented.

I smiled nervously. "Thanks. So do you."

Chloe was wearing a yellow knee length dress with a long sleeved green cardigan over her shoulders. Brown ankle boots hid her feet. She looked down and wiggled back and forth, causing the dress to flow about her legs. "Thanks. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I muttered.

The drive to Smallville High took ten minutes. In our past excursions with Darkseid – well the ones that took place in _my _past anyway – I'd seen the outside of the school several times but it was entirely different going through the gates into the parking lot as a student. Teenagers were everywhere. I groaned inwardly as I was rudely thrust back into a time period I never thought I'd have to live again. It was like living in a nightmare. With ease I determined the stereotypical groups from the jocks with their swooning cheerleaders down to the geeks that didn't seem to fit in anywhere.

Chloe pulled into an empty spot and hopped out. "The front desk is just through those doors," she said, pointing.

We didn't make it very far before being accosted by a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was a little gangly for a senior, his arms and legs longer than his torso, and everything from his v-neck sweater to his second hand shoes gave no doubt in my mind where he fit in.

"Hey, Chloe!" he said cheerfully, his voice being surprisingly an attractive tenor.

"Hi, Pete," Chloe replied just as cheerfully back. "This is the new girl I was talking to you about."

Pete gave me a once over and smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you. Pete Ross."

"Lois Lane," I said, shaking his hand.

"Have you seen Clark yet Pete?" wondered Chloe.

Pete shook his head. "You know Clark. He always shows up late."

I had to hide a smile. So the Man of Steel was already fluent in that particular habit even before his debut in Metropolis.

"Looking for me?" said a deep baritone behind us.

We all whipped around and it took everything I had not to leap into his already well toned arms. Clark was as handsome as I'd ever seen him, his features as defined and prominent as the first time I laid eyes on him as Superman. What surprised me was that he didn't have glasses yet he wore his hair in the traditional office Clark fashion (slightly messy but classy in its own right). His shoulders weren't stooped either, making his 6"4 height quite intimidating. If it weren't for his kind features, I would have steered clear just from being covered in his shadow. His unearthly blues were even more perceptible from his open plaid blue button up, white tee shirt, and jeans. His bag was slung casually over one shoulder and he stood in a relaxed manner that I'd only ever witnessed once he was home from the prying eyes of the world.

"Clark! What's up, man?" Pete greeted, slapping Clark on the shoulder while Chloe stepped forward to hug him.

I'm not going to lie; I secretly wished I was the one in Clark's arms. I almost physically ached from not being able to touch him. Oh I hated being the new girl! I was going to have to reestablish our entire relationship! How was this fair?

"Clark, this is Lois. Lois, Clark."

"Hi," he greeted, flashing a set of his pearly whites.

I nearly melted in a puddle of ooze as I shook his outstretched hand. Simply touching him sent electricity coursing through my veins. "Nice to meet you," I said, laying on the charm that usually ensnared him in the past. But to my utter astonishment and confusion, a spark didn't ignite in Clark's eyes. Distraught and completely bewildered, I furrowed my brow. I couldn't deny I was hurt. Why hadn't he reacted?

The answer came not even two seconds later in the form of long red hair and freckles. Lana Lang's hips swayed back and forth, her green skirt moving in a similar motion as she drew near. Her pink top was slightly flowery with a hint of orange and her brown knee length boots clip-clopped as she came up to Clark, her eyes bright and her smile genuine.

To my dismay, the spark I was longing to see in Clark's eyes ignited into life and a breathtaking smile climbed his perfect cheeks as he reached out and embraced Lana. My stomach twisted painfully as she reached up on tiptoe and kissed Clark on the cheek to which he kissed her cheek in return. At first I wanted to vomit. Then I wanted to rush forward and slap Clark for what I felt was absolute betrayal. But both these emotions were replaced by a green monster that wanted nothing more than to gouge Lana's jugular out and toss her dead body across the lawn. It inwardly roared with indignation as I saw their hands intertwine while they headed towards the school's entrance.

Nobody told me that I'd have to compete for Clark's affections with Lana Lang! Clark himself said they dated for a short period of time their senior year and Lana admitted to it as well. It was just my luck to be sent back in time when their relationship was clearly in full bloom. Silently grumbling over my misfortune, I waved goodbye to Chloe and headed to the front office to pick up my schedule, permanently having Clark and Lana's intertwined hands burned into my retinas.

"Can I help you?"

I came out of my silent frustrations to find a middle-aged secretary peering at me over her spectacles. "Um, yeah," I muttered. "I'm a new student. My dad should have called."

"Oh! You must be Miss Lane! We've been expecting you!" The secretary pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to me. "Inside you'll find a map of the school as well as your schedule and a welcome packet to Smallville High."

"Thanks," I muttered, opening it to peer inside and fish out my schedule.

"After lunch we'd like for you to go and talk to a guidance counselor about an extracurricular activity. When you decide what you'd like to take, you can fill in your sixth period with that class."

"Where is the guidance counselor located?"

"If you go out this door to your left it's the first door on your right."

"Got it, thanks again," I said, moving away.

"We're glad you're here," she called. "Welcome to the home of the Crows!"

"Yup, I'm slowly being manipulated into a hayseed," I muttered under my breath. "Clark would laugh so hard if only he could see me now!"

My first period turned out to be math – oh joy of joys – so I headed off to building T located near the back of the high school. The teacher paused in his lecture when I arrived, consequently causing all the students to look at me curiously. Ignoring them, I marched up to him and thrust my schedule under his mustache. "I'm new," I said simply.

"Hmmm, a late starter, huh?" he asked with hidden disapproval.

"My father's in the military."

His countenance changed at once to more approving. "I see. Well, welcome, Miss Lane. You can have one of the seats in the back."

"Thank you," I muttered, walking to a desk near the window away from the where everyone could stare at me.

I didn't know anyone in this class nor did I care to get to know any of them. As far as I was concerned, I didn't even have to pay attention in class or do any of the homework. I was only here in this time period for Clark – though he seemed perfectly fine to me! Silent jealousy raged under my calm exterior as I answered questions when called upon by Mr. Butters. The math questions were almost too easy. Bored beyond belief, I finished the work assignment he gave us as well as the homework before the bell even rang.

Sighing, I pulled out my schedule. Thank goodness the next subject was English, a class I actually liked! My teacher, Mrs. Ferris, turned out to be a wonderfully energetic lady in her late thirties. She was passionate in her subject and when she saw my passion too, her eyes shown with approval. Dancing around the room flamboyantly as she went into a happy tirade of Shakespeare's Hamlet, I doodled a little on the corner of my paper absentmindedly.

English passed faster than I would have liked, my next two subjects being History and Biology. History was old news to me and I cared little for science. I actually ended up falling asleep on my textbook I was so bored. I was more than thankful when the bell rang signifying lunch time. So far none of my classes had Pete, Chloe, Clark, or even Lana! I was wondering how on earth I would even be able to get close to any of them with our schedules being so different when Chloe materialized at my side in the lunch line, dragging Pete, Lana, and Clark with her.

"Lois! There you are!" she said breathlessly. "What classes do you have?"

I pulled out my schedule for their viewing pleasure. Clark peered interestedly over Chloe's shoulder on one side with Pete and Lana on the other.

"Wow, you got Mrs. Ferris?" Pete said, impressed. "She's the best teacher ever! Wish she was mine. I have Haggar for English."

"I have Mrs. Ferris but for AP English Literature," Clark revealed. "Pete's right, she is the best."

I inwardly cursed. Clark was smart enough to more than likely be in all AP classes. I silently mourned for not caring more in school. Smallville High had probably looked at my previous grades and given me cheapo classes.

"Blake is good for History if you're into that sort of thing," Lana opined.

"And Jenkins is great at biology," Chloe said, her tone contradicting her words.

I stifled a yawn. "If you're talking about the kind of science where you're staring at the back of your eyelids, yeah, he's pretty great."

The four of them laughed, agreeing with me completely.

"Hang on, you have an empty class, Lois," Chloe said, pointing at the sixth period's space.

"Oh, yeah, I have to go talk to the guidance counselor about that," I muttered, taking my schedule back. "It's so I can pick an elective."

"It looks like the only period we all have together is seventh," Clark said.

I eagerly looked at my schedule but groaned a moment later. "Seriously? A gym class?"

Pete grinned. "It's mandatory to take one every year here."

"That is so lame," I muttered, stuffing my schedule into my backpack.

"You don't like working out?" Lana asked, appalled.

I shook my head. "It's not that. Gym class in high school is just an excuse for the boys to get a good look at the girls running around in a school uniform."

Chloe and Lana raised an eyebrow while Pete coughed into his hand. Chloe swatted his arm. "What, it's the truth!" Pete cried, massaging his arm.

Lana looked sharply at Clark who shrugged. "It's pretty standard I'm afraid."

"Oh, Clark, not you too!" she said reproachfully.

Clark shook his head. "You know I'm not into that sort of thing, Lana! Honest!"

Lana rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Come on, let's get something to eat." And she left us in the dust with her nose in the air.

"Things still rocky between you two, I gather?" Chloe muttered.

I peeked through my dark locks to see Clark sigh in frustration. "Yeah," he admitted. "I say one thing wrong and she blows up! She won't even tell me why! I wish she would. It would be nice to clear the air."

Chloe shook her head disdainfully. "If you don't see it, Clark, I think it's fair of her not to say anything." And with that final note, she took off after Lana, leaving Clark in the dust.

Clark, perplexed, looked to Pete. "What's with her?"

Pete shuffled his feet uncomfortably. After a longer pause than necessary, he shrugged. "I don't know, man."

"Like heck you don't," I muttered under my breath. Clark made the briefest glance in my direction but didn't say anything.

"Come on," Pete hedged. "Let's get some of that pizza before they sell out."

The rest of lunch was spent in relative silence, everyone appearing to be in a foul mood. I frowned as I devoured my chicken sandwich; I wasn't in the mood for pizza. What on earth was going on? There was obviously something weird in the atmosphere between these four. It didn't take an investigative reporter to figure that one out. I glanced at my watch and broke the silence. "Hey guys, I need to go talk to the guidance counselor. I'll catch up with you later."

"Okay, see you in gym, Lois!" Chloe called, being the only one to even note my departure.

I sighed. The bell rang signifying sixth period was about to begin. The guidance counselor turned out to be someone I never would have pegged for giving students advice. His name was Mr. Reppart and he looked like a man fresh out of college. His hair was black, tied back in a ponytail, displaying his pale skin over his dark grey suit. A single fang earring hung in his right ear and his eyes had the impression of one who knew more than they were letting on.

"Hello," he said pleasantly in a slightly raspy voice. "How may I help you?"

"Hi; I just started. I was told to come and see you about picking an extracurricular class."

"Ahhh, yes, you're the new girl," he said, pulling out a list of classes for me to pick from inside one of his filing cabinets. "I'm Mr. Reppart." He didn't pronounce the t at the end of his name.

"Nice to meet you," I said. "I'm Lois Lane."

He nodded. "So your record states," he muttered, pulling my record out to peruse it. "Tell me, Miss Lane, do you have an extracurricular activity you already have in mind?"

"Free lance writing," I said at once.

Mr. Reppart raised an eyebrow but nodded silently. "Very well, I'm sure there's at least one opening for that class. Ahhh, yes, here we are!" He pulled up the class on his computer and sent me a nice smile. After typing a few keys, he said, "Alright, you're all set. Head to the G building, room 614, Mrs. Tundle."

"Thank you," I said.

"Let me know if you need any more help," he called.

"Will do," I said over my shoulder.

I checked the school's map. Building G was located in the middle with H, I, and J. Walking across the courtyard, I headed down the hall and eventually found the right building. I felt dumb walking in to class late yet again but such a thing happened when you were new and starting later in the year than anybody else. Sighing, I opened the door to Mrs. Tundle's class. For once my sudden entrance went unnoticed as my fellow classmates were already busy at work in their own little world writing a story involving the subjects on the board: a Knight, an orange, and a wheelbarrow. Raising my eyebrow, I walked to Mrs. Tundle's desk.

The woman was in her early fifties, her black hair colored with streaks of natural gray. Her warm brown eyes crinkled as she sent me a kind smile. "Hello, dear. What can I do for you?"

"I just started school and I picked your class as my elective," I said, holding out my schedule.

Mr. Tundle took it excitedly. "I see! Do you enjoy writing, Miss Lane?"

"I'm planning on becoming a journalist," I divulged. It was so weird saying that when I was already a journalist and a world famous one at that! This whole trip back into the past was messing with my mind more than I cared to admit! It was more than a handful trying to keep my true identity to myself. Is this what Clark had to live with all the time while hiding the truth about him being Superman? I could never be as resilient as him.

An unmistakable scent of Kansas fields and fresh air suddenly danced through the air and my heart took off like a hummingbird's. I dared to glance next to me and found Clark standing there looking a little sheepish, clearly not wanting to interrupt our conversation.

"Clark, is there something you need?" Mrs. Tundle asked, seeing where I was looking.

Clark stepped forward, apologetic. "Sorry, I just wanted to turn in my assignment."

"Finished already?" Mrs. Tundle appraised. "I can't wait to read it! You're the best writer in the class but don't tell the others I said that," she added quietly.

Ever humble, Clark shook his head. "I'm sure there are many good writers in this class but thank you for your kindness, ma'am."

Mrs. Tundle smiled. "Always the gentleman. Clark, could you show Lois to that empty desk next to you? She's our newest addition to the writers of the future. Lois, you don't have to do the assignment today since class is already half over but I'll have you do the homework with everyone else."

"Oh, okay," I muttered, taking my schedule back. "Thanks."

Clark sent me a friendly smile before leading the way to our desks in the corner of the room. I made sure to sweep the room as I followed after him. I couldn't believe my luck! I had a class with Clark and it was Lana, Chloe, and Pete free! I didn't know of another opportunity that would be this golden for me to do what I needed to do. I silently thanked the powers that be for making this work to my advantage.

"So, I overheard you telling Mrs. Tundle that you want to be a journalist," Clark hedged as we sat down.

I smiled. Eavesdropping already huh? "Sure do," I said, collapsing into my chair. "I'm going to work for the Daily Planet in Metropolis after I graduate."

Clark's dark eyebrows rose. "That's a really bold ambition. I hear it's really difficult to get started there. Usually you have to work your way up."

I grinned mischievously and wiggled my eyebrows. "Oh, I have an in. I just happen to be acquainted with the editor, Perry White."

Clark's surprise was genuine as well as impressed. "Perry White is one of my heroes. His writing is fantastic! How do you know him?"

"We ran into each other once," I hedged, suddenly realizing I'd practically stuck my foot in my mouth again.

"Really? Where?"

I inwardly groaned. Leave it to Clark to try to be an investigative reporter at a time like this! "Look," I said a tad defensive, "I'm not the best kid, alright? I don't come from that great of a family. Perry happened to find me when I was on one of my little escapades of running away from home. He took me in for a while and after I'd calmed down a bit, he forced me to go home."

Clark sat in silence for a minute with a frown on his face. After a while his eyes softened as he muttered, "I'm sorry your home situation isn't the best. That's got to be really rough."

I relaxed a bit and nodded. "Yeah, it is. To tell you the truth, I feel more comfortable when I'm away from home. It's like I'm a bird escaping a cage."

"Chloe told us that you were staying with her while your family moved around in the area. Forgive me for prying but I take it that isn't entirely true, is it?"

I smiled. "You'd make a great reporter, Clark. Have you ever considered getting that kind of job after school?"

Clark laughed lightly, scoffing the idea. "I don't think reporting is really my thing."

I raised an amused eyebrow. "Oh, really? Why not?"

He shrugged. "To tell you the truth I never thought about it before. My current plan is to go to Metropolis University and play football. I've already been given the scholarship."

I'd totally forgotten Clark played football in high school! His powers were always something I just assumed would make sports unattainable for him as a career. I frowned. "I take it you're on the football team?"

Clark nodded, his eyes bright. He was obviously really excited about that. "I only started this year but I'm their star quarterback!" He paused to add in a softer, quieter tone, "My dad wouldn't let me play until this year."

And I fully understood why! If Clark barreled into someone with his real strength, he'd break more than just a player's ego. I decided not to pry. "Parents are usually overprotective."

Of all things, Clark hadn't been expecting that reply. Surprise evident on his face, he shrugged. "I guess you're right."

I sighed. "Look, Clark, take it from someone who's seen a lot in her short lifetime. You don't want a career as a football player. You'll only have a few years of glory and then you'll have to retire. Do you honestly think you'll accomplish the most good while running back and forth chasing after a ball?"

Clark stared at me, once again surprised. He became very quiet, his thoughts swirling in his head. How I loved that calculated expression! I hoped I hadn't said too much. After two minutes of doodling on my schedule, Clark returned to our conversation. "Thanks for the advice, Lois," he said. "I'll keep it in mind."

And from the tone in his voice I knew he wasn't just saying that. He really was going to brood over it, probably for hours on end. I knew Clark well enough to know he wasn't going to let it rest now that I'd poisoned his high school visions of the future with doubt.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure," I invited.

"Why do you want to be a journalist?"

I smiled and this time I didn't have to put up an act. My passion for journalism spewed forth without a filter, shining through my words like a beacon. "I just love the thrill of chasing down a story! I'm naturally curious so I tend to leap before I look when it comes to the scent of a really good article but I enjoy being able to put my life into something that will benefit others. The news can be dismal at times but I think it really helps people form their own opinions. I guess it's the way I feel I can best contribute to the world."

Clark was resting his head in his hand, his expression clouded. "I envy you, Lois. You seem to have your future all figured out. I wish I was just as sure and passionate as you on what to do with my life."

He was rather troubled as he stared down at his desk. Feeling the need to reassure him, I smiled and kindly replied, "Don't worry, Clark. You have plenty of time to figure out who you're going to be. Honestly, I have a hunch you already have a rough idea of where you need to end up too."

"Oh yeah?"

I nodded. "Call it future reporter's intuition."

That made him laugh though it didn't reach his eyes; they were still full of indecision and uncertainty. My heart clenched a little. Oh, Clark. I didn't realize you were so unsure of yourself! Dr. Fate was right. I had my work cut out for me. If there was one thing I knew I excelled in, it was encouraging Clark when he reached his lowest point. Determination welled within me. Even if I was only meant to be his friend while here, I was going to do everything I could to push him into becoming Superman and mild mannered reporter, Clark Kent. Thrilled that I finally found my purpose, I began scheming ways I could help Clark see the bright future I already knew he'd one day have.


	5. Identities and Secrets

05: Identities and Secrets

_**Clark, Metropolis**_

It had been a month since I arrived in this time and my relationship with Lois was blossoming quite well. We hadn't kissed yet which was entirely my doing. Though I knew that eventually we would marry, I still felt rather cautious of how much physical attention I gave to this Lois. As much as I wanted to kiss, hold, and caress her, I was terrified of the eventual time when I would have to leave. I'd break her heart if I suddenly disappeared. Dr. Fate hadn't said anything about the Lois in the past forgetting me. I felt I was dancing near the brink of destroying the happy future I personally enjoyed. The horrible part was the more I saw Lois, the more my caution crumbled. Pretty soon I would throw everything to the winds and give in to what I most desperately wanted. Being married and then having to withhold your natural instincts and pleasures was complete and udder torture. If I hadn't been denying myself of Lois for so many years, I would have caved in this situation without a doubt.

Besides my relationship with Lois, my reputation as the Blur was becoming a success. It had definitely drawn the attention of the public eye. Criminals were more careful in their endeavors though none of them had yet to discover my fatal flaws: Lois and kryptonite. I had told Lois about the stupid green rock but she promised on her life that she wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone. Even though Perry demanded an article a week from her about the Blur, not once did she say anything about my heritage or my weakness and I loved her even more for that.

I was sitting at an available desk for stringers in the corner of the bullpen when Lois appeared by my side, holding coffee in her hands. "Hi Kal!" she said happily, kissing my cheek.

I smiled. "Hello beautiful. And why are you so cheerful this morning?"

Lois was positively giddy with excitement. Leaping on the desk, giving me full view of her sexy legs, she crossed them and popped her high-heeled foot up and down as she revealed, "Perry promoted me! I'm no longer a puff piece writer!"

"That's great!" I cheered.

"I know! I'm so excited!"

"What's your first assignment then?" I asked, grinning over how adorable she was.

"Oh, it's a good one! So, there's been some pretty shady work going on at a club downtown. Perry wants me to go undercover and investigate."

Red flags immediately flew in my mind. Lois and clubs never ended well. Imagining some crime boss eyeing Lois in an inappropriate way and then discovering her true identity caused me to nearly jump up and beg Perry to assign someone else to the piece. Lois seemed to see the distain in my eyes.

"What's wrong, Kal? You look upset!"

I cleared my throat. "Lois, are you sure that you should start with a story so…risqué?"

Lois rolled her eyes. "Kal, you worry too much! Didn't I mention that Perry wants you to accompany me on this?"

"He does? That would have been nice to know!" I muttered, relaxing a little.

Lois laughed before kissing the top of my head. "You're really cute when you worry over me, you know?"

I sighed. "I think I'm going to die young from doing so too."

Lois only laughed. "Come on, Kal. We have some shopping to do!"

I frowned. "Can't I finish my article?"

Lois peered over my shoulder at the computer screen. "Dangerous pet food might be more than you bargained for? You're seriously writing a piece about pet food?"

"It's important news!" I defended.

"Ah-huh. Kal, you obviously don't know that the real juice lies with crime bosses and bank robberies."

I rolled my eyes at the silent ribbing. The Blur had turned in a crime boss after a bank robbery just last week and Lois had naturally written the article with firsthand account details. Ignoring her, I finished typing my article at super speed before sending it through email to the editors. Lois shook her head. "You know, I'm still envious that you can type that fast."

I smiled as I stood and kissed her forehead. "Alright, Miss Lane, where do you want to haul me off to today?"

"The mall of course!" she said happily, slipping off my desk to follow me to the elevator. "Perry gave me a company card so we can spend however much we need in order to fit in!"

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to end badly?" I muttered as the elevator doors closed on us.

"Kal, stop being such a killjoy!" Lois scolded. "This is our first story together! I thought you'd be more excited."

My smile was strained. "I am excited, Lois, but I'm also worried about your safety. Shady clubs aren't the best place for women your age to be haunting around."

"That's why I have you!" she said with a slight giggle, holding my arm tight.

After shopping around for a couple of hours, we found a few outfits that Lois deemed worthy of disguise. Of course everything was made of either real leather or pleather – depending on the outfit – and chains. I shook my head in disbelief as Lois took a fake earring she had bought and clipped it to my right earlobe. Messing up my hair with her hands, she finished the look with a pair of sunglasses.

"Lois," I complained, removing the glasses.

"Kal, you look perfect!" she praised. "All we need now is for you to wear that black leather trench coat we just bought with a white tee shirt and some black jeans and you'll be all set!"

I frowned. "And what are you going to be wearing?"

Lois pulled out a red button up halter top, a black leather skirt, and a pair of strapping red leather heels. "This of course."

I shook my head. No way was I letting my wife – well, my future wife – dress in such a way! "Lois, you can't go into a club looking like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because…" I lowered my voice, "you'd look like a _stripper!"_

Lois grinned. "Then I shopped well."

"_What?!"_

"Didn't I tell you? The club Perry wants us to investigate is a stripper club," Lois revealed positively cheerful.

My jaw dropped open. _What was Perry thinking?!_ Lois was only eighteen years old! She would be eaten alive if she went into such a place at her age! Had the old man been drinking when he gave her this assignment? Lois saw the steely look in my eyes and leapt into my lap before I could stand up. "Kal, come on! This is my chance to nail another headliner! Please! Pretty please!"

I shook my head firmly. "No."

Lois's lower lip poked outward. She scooted even more into my lap and rested her head on my shoulder. Her fingers began playing with the side of my face and it took everything I had not to shiver. "Come on, Kal," she whispered seductively into my ear. "Just this once! I promise that if things get out of hand the Blur has my full permission to come to my rescue. Please? _Please?"_ The last please came out almost like a purr.

_Curse this woman!_ "Alright!" I snapped, giving in.

"Yay!" Lois cried, wrapping her arms around me and kissing my cheek. "I promise everything is going to be fine!"

"Hang on a minute," I said. "If you're going to audition as a stripper, where do I fit in?"

"You're going to be a bouncer of course. Perry's already scheduled us to have an interview."

"He what?!"

Ignoring me, Lois looked at her watch. "Hmmm, we have about four hours before we have to be at the club. Want to get some lunch and then we can go back to my place to get ready?"

I sighed. This was ridiculous. Of all the assignments I'd been on with Lois, I never could recall a time when she was going incognito as a stripper. Maybe those were in the days before Superman and Clark Kent appeared at the Daily Planet. Praying that I could keep face while Lois played into the hands of dirty men, I silently cursed Perry for placing me in such a predicament.

"There better be a real story here," I grumbled as I helped Lois pick up the multiple bags of clothes and accessories.

"Call it reporter's intuition, Kal," Lois said happily as she almost skipped out to the food court. "There's a story here! I can feel it in my bones!"

_**Lois, Smallville**_

I hated high school when I had to endure it the first time and I sure as heck hated it now. I may have even hated it more now than I did before. It had been a month and my chances of getting Clark to romantically notice me were just as high as a pigeon's – meaning they were nonexistent. The idiot was completely head over heels mooning over Lana Lang. And she didn't even compliment him that much! Sure she was pretty but in my opinion she was incredibly shallow. She was nothing like the Lana Lang I eventually met right before my wedding. Something drastic must have happened in the future because I swore that the Lana Lang dating Clark Kent was not the same woman who would eventually marry Pete Ross.

She was stuck up, rude, and expressed her opinion without thinking. But I think the thing that bothered me the most was how angry she always seemed to be with Clark. The two were constantly trying to patch things up. I wasn't even the one experiencing it and I was exhausted from simply watching them. Just imagining what they were going through made my head spin. And then, to add to the drama, Chloe and Pete seemed to share in Lana's annoyance with Clark. I couldn't figure out what is was though I'd caught them several times whispering together when Clark and I were heading their way after writing class. They always looked away guiltily from our curious expressions and refused to indulge what they were discussing when we asked. Clark seemed to get a sour face every time we drew near too. I desperately wanted to ask him what he was obviously hearing but that would give away that I knew his secret so I kept it to myself.

It was just after school and Clark and Lana weren't speaking to each other. They'd had a major fight in gym class about Clark not spending time with Lana due to football practice. "What do you want me to do, quit the team like you quit cheerleading?" he'd snapped at her.

"Some things are more important than sports, Clark!" she had shouted back.

I rolled my eyes as I witnessed the two obviously acknowledge each other but refuse to speak. Lana put her nose in the air and stormed out of the gym. Clark hitched up his backpack and headed to the football lockers.

Pete and Chloe were at my side, watching the whole scene unfold.

"I give it a week," Chloe muttered.

Pete shook his head. "I'm not even gonna bet anymore. You know how it works. Clark eventually cools off enough to go and apologize to Lana, Lana apologizes too for feeling like a jerk from the way she treated him, and they're back to walking on eggshells."

"That's not a very healthy relationship if you ask me," I muttered. "Why are they even trying to stay together anyway?"

"Because Clark's desperate to keep the girl he's fawned over for years and Lana finally realizes that even though Clark can be inconsiderate he's also genuine, unlike every other guy she's dated in the past," Chloe answered.

"How is Clark inconsiderate?" I wondered aloud.

Pete and Chloe both suddenly became interested in leaving. "Hey, I really need to get home and start working on my essay," Pete said. "Do you mind giving me a ride, Chloe?"

"Not at all," Chloe said, leaping at the opportunity immediately.

I frowned. Yep, that wasn't suspicious at all!

"Are you coming Lois?"

I shook my head, staring as Clark forcefully pushed the door open to the football locker room. "Actually I needed to talk to Clark about an assignment due in our writing class."

"You realize that Clark could be at practice for up to two hours, right? Why not call him?" Pete suggested.

I shook my head even more firmly. They didn't get it. What Clark needed more than ever right now was a friend and a friend I definitely was qualified to be! I'd wait for hours if I had to. Besides, he'd be ready to talk by then and I would be right there as his shoulder to cry on! It couldn't work out even more perfectly than it had. This was it! My time to shine! "It'll be easier in person. I'm a visual learner."

Pete shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"Don't worry, Chloe, it's not that far of a walk," I said, assuring her.

"Alright," she said a little nervously. "But if you're not home by seven I'm coming looking for you!"

"Deal."

I waited until they were out of sight before making my way into town. The Talon was only fifteen minutes walking distance from the high school and the weather was perfect for hot chocolate. I made sure to get Clark's favorite – dark chocolate with white chocolate shavings – before heading back out into the chilly October air. By the time I made it back to the school, the football team was heading into the lockers; the coach must have called it a day since the darkening sky had already flashed lightning more than once. I made sure to wait just outside the lockers in order to catch Clark before he could run off. Several sweaty smelling guys eyed me with more than just interest but I politely decided to ignore them.

Clark was one of the last ones to leave, probably because he wanted to super speed home. Too bad that wasn't going to happen! The second he appeared, I could see he was still troubled but not angry anymore. I cleared my throat.

"Lois?!" he cried, surprised, leaping out of his skin.

It was always a rare occasion when I could sneak up on Clark and it was usually only when he was concentrating rather hard about something else. Mind you, my husband was always listening to my heartbeat so he usually had a head start but this Clark hadn't picked up that little habit yet.

Grinning, I held out the hot chocolate. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"What's this?" Clark asked, taking the lidded cup.

"Alcohol," I said in all seriousness.

Clark snorted. He'd learned my sense of humor by now. "Seriously, Lois."

I rolled my eyes. "It's hot chocolate, Smallville. What do you think it is? It's cold outside and I figured you could use some on your walk home."

In the second week of me being here I'd slipped into calling Clark Smallville and the nickname just stuck. I only called him that when we were alone though. I guess it was my private pleasure – the only one I was free to have since my Clark was currently taken by that devil woman Lana Lang.

Clark smiled a little as he popped the lid off and saw the contents. "Hey, dark chocolate with white chocolate shavings! This is my favorite! How did you know?"

I inwardly smiled, patting myself on the back. "Lucky guess."

He noticed my cup. "What'd you get?"

"Milk chocolate with a hint of mint," I revealed. "It's a guilty pleasure I indulge in once in a while."

Clark grinned. "Thanks, Lois. You didn't have to do this."

I rolled my eyes. "Clark, just shut up and drink your chocolate."

"Yes, ma'am," he said happily, trying to keep a smile from his face.

Score! I'd pleased him!

"Do you want me to walk you home?" he asked. "It's getting dark after all."

Score number two! "Sure, if it's not too much trouble," I said, trying to keep the giddiness from my tone.

We set off down the road, enjoying our hot chocolate while the October breeze fluttered around us. We made small talk until we reached a bridge that overlooked Smallville River – which looked more like a sorry excuse of a stream than a river to me.

"I think it's going to rain," Clark muttered, looking up at the dark clouds. The wind had definitely gotten worse.

"I think you're right," I muttered.

We got to the opposite side of the bridge when it happened. A bolt of lightning suddenly flew down from the sky, crashing into an old tree just off to my left. The sudden clap of thunder rattled my eardrums and an involuntary shriek of fright escaped my mouth just as the old tree snapped at the trunk. My eyes widened in panic as the world slowed down. The tree was falling right towards me, its trunk large enough to crush me into the pavement!

It was too late to dive out of the way; the shock from the sudden lightning was just enough to keep me rooted to the road. Clark must have been in the same predicament because he was still standing frozen next to me. The tree loomed, its broken base cracking strangely in my ears. Right before the first big branch could puncture my shoulder, I saw a blur in my peripheral vision. I blinked and the tree stopped moving. Eyes wide, I finally found Clark holding the tree up with both hands. Pushing the thing off to the side like it was a toy, the tree made a monstrous crack as it hit the ground, its leaves falling off in clumps.

My eyes found Clark's. He was like a deer caught in the headlights. He was clearly going out of his mind with fright. He took a step backward and I knew that if I didn't speak now, he'd bolt.

"Wait!" I cried.

Clark stopped, his expression still alarmed.

"Clark, don't run off," I begged. "Please!"

He studied me for several moments before planting his feet firmly on the road. I closed the distance between us in seconds and without pause, I wrapped my arms around him. He stiffened in my grasp, completely frozen in place. I stepped out of the hug with nothing but gratitude on my face. "Thank you for saving me."

Clark's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"Thanks for saving me," I said again just as calmly as before.

"Lois… I just tossed a tree like it was a softball!" he cried, waving his arms at the fallen tree.

"Yeah, so?"

His jaw opened and shut several times as he looked at me incredulously. "You mean… you're not freaked out?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Clark, you saved my life! Sure I'm curious about how you did it but I'd be entirely inhuman for not thanking you."

His jaw dropped completely open now. He was at a loss for words. Ignoring him to show I really wasn't freaked out, I walked over to the tree and gave it a kick. "That was one heck of a lightning strike."

Right as the words left my mouth, the heavens opened, drenching us in cold rain. Clark seemed to make a decision. He gently scooped me into his arms. "Promise not to freak out?" he shouted as the rain fell.

"Sure!" I cried.

And then the rain seemed to slow down as the wind whipped around us. It took me a moment to realize that Clark was running. I was watching the scene around us move in slow motion. I could see every individual drop of rain seconds before we blurred past it. In six seconds, the slow motion stopped and we were standing in Clark's loft inside the Kent's farmhouse.

Clark immediately set me down and backed away, his expression geared up for the worst. I simply looked around. "Where are we?" I feigned ignorance.

"W-We're in my parents' barn. I come here to be alone most of the time. My dad calls it the Fortress of Solitude."

I smiled knowingly, my back to him. The place was just as I remembered it except the pictures hanging on the walls weren't as old as the ones I saw in the future. "We were just on the bridge," I said, deciding to pretend to be slightly surprised. "Wow, I guess you can run really fast too?"

Clark looked at me like I'd grown a third eye. "You're taking this really well, almost _too _well in fact. Wait, you're not going to tell me that your some monster from the Phantom Zone, are you?"

Play dumb, Lane. I raised an eyebrow. "Um, what's the Phantom Zone?"

Believing my ruse, Clark looked like he wanted to kick himself. He shakily sat down in a chair and put his head in his hands. Now that we were out of the rain I was getting pretty cold. I noticed a blanket folded on his couch. I decided to make myself at home. Grabbing the thick throw, I sat down on the couch and huddled underneath it, trying to get warm while watching Clark silently. He looked to be having a mental breakdown. Poor guy. Someone knew his secret. Oh, well, he'd get over it.

"My parents are going to kill me," he muttered, his head still in his hands.

"Clark?"

He finally looked up at me, his expression filled with nothing but despair. "Yeah?"

I smiled. "If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. And don't worry; I'll keep it a secret. I'm really good at keeping secrets."

Clark's mouth dropped open again. He sat up in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. "You seriously don't want to know why I can run so fast and lift trees without a sweat?"

I shrugged. "Sure I want to know but if you don't want to tell me it isn't my right to pry. I trust you. If you want to share, my ears are open. I'm your friend, Clark, and friends wait until you're ready to tell them whatever it is you're hiding. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people keep secrets for good reasons even if others don't understand them."

Clark stared at me silently for several minutes. I busied myself with snooping around his loft with my eyes. I'd said what I felt needed to be said and now it was up to Clark whether he wanted to tell me more. I was determined to make it clear to him that I had nothing but his best interest at heart and that I would never betray his confidence.

It felt like an eternity before he finally spoke. "All my life I've been afraid of people finding out who I really am."

I turned my gaze fully on him but didn't speak, willing him to silently continue if he so wished.

Clark sighed. "If everyone took it as well as you, I wouldn't be afraid to be myself. Unfortunately I have a feeling that wouldn't be the case." He stared at me and I silently shrugged. He frowned and then let out another deep sigh, putting his head back in his hands. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he muttered.

I waited, my heart betraying me by starting to pick up. Clark immediately snapped up and looked right at me, concerned and afraid. Despite my racing heart, I smiled encouragingly. Besides, my heart wasn't thumping due to terror. I was _excited!_ Was I really going to be the first one Clark ever told?

My smile seemed to be the reassurance he needed. "What I tell you next, you have to swear you won't tell anyone, not even Chloe, Pete, and especially Lana."

Without flinching, my eyes staring right into his soul, I promised, "Clark, I'll take it to my grave unless you tell me otherwise. This is your secret to share, not mine. I'll merely be a keeper."

Clark sighed and ran his hands through his hair before leaping to his feet. "Okay, here goes," he muttered, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Lois, I'm not from around here. What I mean is… I'm not really from _here,_ from _Earth_." – dramatic pause – "Lois, I'm an alien."

"Oh, okay," I said since he apparently wanted me to say something.

Clark stared. "You're… not freaking out."

I shrugged. "What's there to freak out about?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that a life form from a different planet has been secretly living as a human for years pretending to be one of you might be cause to be concerned," Clark muttered bitterly.

I stood up and tossed the blanket to the side. Even though I was cold, I walked over to Clark and gave him the biggest hug I could muster. "Just because you're from another planet doesn't mean you aren't human, Clark. As far as I'm concerned, you're just as human as the rest of us. In fact, you're better than the average human being! You value life, you care for others even if they don't care for you, you're always looking out for your friends, and you have the best morals of any person I've ever met. Clark Kent is just as human as I am."

Clark was silent for a long time. "You have no idea," he finally muttered hoarsely, "how much it means to me to hear someone besides my parents say that."

I pulled away but kept a close proximity to him. "Did you think they were just being biased?" I teased.

Clark grinned sheepishly. "I guess."

I punched him lightly in the arm. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, Smallville. You're just as human as the rest of us even if you can move super fast and pick up a tree like it was a piece of lint."

Clark smiled, finally relaxing. It was the first sign that I had moved from the porch into his house of trust. "That's not all I can do, Lois," he said sounding a little excited to be sharing himself with someone so completely for the first time.

I'm not going to lie, I was doing a happy dance inside my mind that would probably make Conner and Kara look away in embarrassment if they could witness it. I was the first person Clark told! _I was the first one he'd told!_ And I thought I was special before! Haha! In your face Lana Lang!

"Is that right?" I said calmly, not showing my inner elation. "What else have you got up your sleeves, farm boy?"

Clark grinned. Looking at an unlit candle, he shot heat vision through the air where it hit the wick, immediately sprouting a flame. "Heat vision," he said.

"That's rather handy," I commented, grinning.

Encouraged further, Clark continued, "I can also hear things other people can't, like things far away even on the other side of the world."

"Perfect for eavesdropping," I joked.

Clark looked a little uncomfortable. "Yeah, even though I try not to. It can be a rather disturbing power sometimes."

"I can imagine," I grinned wickedly, remembering a time Clark complained about hearing things he'd rather not have to hear from the neighbor's bedroom upstairs.

"I can also change my vision so I can see things far away or up close like a micro or telescope. Oh, and I have x-ray vision too."

"And we both know you've never used that last one on any innocent girls," I said seriously.

Clark nodded emphatically anyway. "I was raised right, Lois. I'm not that kind of guy."

"I know," I said kindly. Clark smiled. "Anything else?" I prompted.

"Yes, actually," Clark said. "I have super breath. I can freeze stuff if I blow cold air and I can create hurricane velocity winds when I exhale if I'm not careful. I can also hold my breath for a long time; over two hours is the longest limit I've done. Oh, and so far I'm invulnerable to everything, including bullets."

"Cool!" I exclaimed. "Now that is something really useful when trying to save the day!"

"Yeah," he agreed.

I waited for him to tell me about his ability to fly but he seemed to be finished. I paused, confused. Martha had said Clark started flying at the beginning of his senior year. Wait, could he not fly yet? I decided to egg him on further, just to be sure. "Do you think you've covered everything or are you going to say you can read minds too?" I asked, politely teasing him.

Clark laughed. "Nope, I don't have that ability. That's everything so far."

Wow, he really couldn't fly yet! Well, we'd have to fix that…but how? I locked the thought away to pursue later. Coming back to the present, I grinned. "My friend is a superhero. Honestly, that's pretty cool."

Clark's grin stopped half way. "Uh-oh," he muttered.

"What?"

But before Clark could reply, a man's voice called from the barn's entrance. "Clark? Son, are you up there?"

Uh-oh was right. We stared at each other in dismay.

_**Clark, Metropolis**_

Lois and I arrived at the stripper club at the appointed time, dressed and ready for our interviews. The name of the club, Night Flight, was over the entrance of the small space just on the outskirts near the docks. I felt foul just being in close proximity to such a tainted place. Lois paused just before we went inside.

"Okay Kal, here's the deal. We have to be twenty one in order to work here. Perry gave me false IDs this morning." She fished around in her bag and pulled out two IDs with our pictures on them.

She handed mine over and I stared at it, frowning. "Lois, we aren't twenty one!"

"But the license says we are. Besides, we can pass for twenty one which is the whole reason we got the job! Out of everyone at the Planet we're the youngest!"

"It all makes sense now," I muttered, annoyed. I stared at the name on my ID. "James Foreman? Seriously?"

"What? I'm Dakota Sinders," Lois said. "I like the name James. Sounds strong."

I rolled my eyes. "Dakota? Really?"

Lois frowned. "Okay so Perry's not the best with names. Give him a break, he had to pull a lot of strings to get these for us so fast. The fact they look pretty legit is awesome to me."

"Alright, we have our names but what's our background story?"

"We grew up together in New York City and made our way to Metropolis to start fresh after things went south working for my father who owns a local grocery store."

I blinked. "So we went from working at a grocery store to a stripper club?"

"He found out we were working at a club on the side and disowned me. As my best friend you followed me after I ran away to make sure I wasn't alone."

I shook my head. "This is ridiculous. Lois, are you sure a crime boss is lurking around here?"

"I don't know! Use your x-ray vision when we get inside!" And without further discussion she went in.

"Lois," I moaned, exasperated.

I hated strip clubs. They went against everything I stood for. Though the club wouldn't open until late evening, I was immediately repulsed by the atmosphere, feeling as if a show were already taking place. The main floor opened to a large area filled with comfortable arm chairs facing a giant stage where several poles were attached to the ceiling. A small set of stairs leading to a bar raised on a platform overlooked the area while another set of stairs disappeared to an upper floor whose door had EMPLOYEES ONLY written in big red letters across its front.

I spotted Lois near the stage talking to a gentleman in a fancy white suit and blue tie. I meandered over, dodging around the chairs with simple grace while using my x-ray vision to see the hidden interior's of the club. Avoiding the risqué dressing and private rooms, I found that the stairs leading to the EMPLOYEES ONLY door had another set of stairs behind them that led into a basement which looked suspiciously like a hangout for thugs. Dismayed over the realization that we'd have to work here in order to investigate further, I joined Lois just as she was making introductions.

"I'm Dakota and this is my friend, James," she said with a slight accent.

"Pleased to meet you," I said, holding out my hand to the man. I made sure to crush his fingers a little harder than usual, signifying the strength I possessed in order to help me get the job.

It worked. "Wow, you have quite the grip, young man," the guy said.

"Thanks."

"My name is Lionel Foxx. I manage the place along with Freddie Hanson. I got a call from one of my personal associates recommending the two of you. Lucky for you we're in need of a Shooter Girl and a Bouncer. Are you interested?"

"Definitely," Lois said.

I have to admit I relaxed a little over hearing that Lois wasn't going to be up on stage; a little peace of mind was better than nothing.

"Great. Just so you know, we have a no touching policy concerning our customers and Shooter Girls but we expect you to entertain the guests similarly to the dancers in the way you dress."

Lois nodded. "I can do that."

I inwardly cringed in dismay. I didn't like this one bit. I was afraid that if any man touched Lois I'd surely rip his arm off.

Lionel turned to me and asked if I could remove my trench coat. "I need to be sure you've got the muscle we're looking for," he said.

I shrugged. "Sure, no problem."

Removing the trench coat, my arms were completely exposed. Lois thought I'd look more intimidating in a sleeveless shirt. Funny how she'd thought the same thing when her father tried to hide me in the army just before we fought against Darkseid in the future. I wasn't really comfortable with showing so much of my skin in public but if it sold the act, fine. I'd rather be working at the club alongside Lois where I could keep an eye on her.

"Holy cow, look at those guns!" Lionel whistled, admiring my triceps and biceps. "Where do you work out, man?"

I shrugged again. "I have a private gym," I hedged.

"I'm sure we won't be having any trouble when people see you walking around. Keep those arms visible and you've got a job, man! When can you two start?"

"Whenever you need us," Lois said before I could.

"How about tomorrow night, seven o'clock?"

"That works for me," I said.

"Me too," Lois agreed.

We stayed to sign some paperwork – it was tricky signing a false name but we managed – before leaving twenty minutes later. As soon as we were six blocks away, Lois pounced. "Alright, did you check the place out?"

I sighed. "The suspicions are correct. I saw an underground room, perfect for thug use."

"I knew it!" Lois said. "Do you think Lionel knows about it?"

I nodded. "You kind of have to when you work as a manager in such a business but he might not be directly involved. There's a chance he could be under their thumb. It'll take a few nights to figure things out."

Lois bounced up and down in excitement. "Can't you feel it, Kal? We're going to nail this story and throw another crime boss in jail! I'm sure of it."

"I'm just glad there's a no touch policy."

Lois squeezed my fingers. "Don't worry, Kal. As a bouncer you have full rights to throw anyone out who breaks the rules. Just do me a favor and don't physically maim anyone stupid enough to try anything."

"I'll try but I can't make any promises."

"That's my hero," Lois laughed, kissing my cheek as we stopped at a crosswalk.

_**Lois, Smallville**_

It was a voice I'd always imagined but never thought I'd ever hear. Clark had spoken often of Jonathan Kent and with all my heart I had longed to know the man. His voice was just like I thought it would be: a little gruff, in the baritone range, but bringing an immediate sense of security when heard.

Jonathan's boots clomped on the stairs coming up to the loft, the wood creaking under his weight. Clark panicked. He didn't know what to do. He seemed to be looking from me back to his dad to me again.

"I need your help lifting the tractor," Jonathan said, coming into view.

He wore thick brown working boots, jeans, a plaid green shirt, and an off green jacket. His blonde hair was slowly receding and his kind face was sun worn from years of working on a farm. Crow's feet lingered around his eyes and a few worry lines were present in his forehead but in general he appeared to have had a very happy life so far. His thick blonde brows rose in surprise when his blue eyes landed on me.

"I didn't realize you had company," he said, suddenly appearing panicked to have asked his son to lift a tractor for him.

"Dad, this is Lois," Clark said.

"Hi," I waved, "it's an honor to finally meet you, Mr. Kent. I've heard many great things about you."

"Have you now?" Jonathan asked while Clark raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, from around town," I hedged. I couldn't very well tell him his wife and son had told me countless stories about him! That would go down well!

"I see," Jonathan muttered, "well, uh, like I said, I could really use Clark's help with something. But if you two are busy it could be done later."

"Dad," Clark said, stopping him, "she knows."

"Knows what?" he returned, panicked.

"About me."

My mouth dropped open just like Jonathan's did. I wasn't expecting _that!_ However, Clark _was_ pretty open in sharing things with his mom. Why should that be any different with his dad? He told them everything because they were the only ones he didn't have to hide anything from. Heck, if I was him I would have done the same thing.

Jonathan, however, didn't take Clark's view on me knowing the secret. Immediately filled with distrust, he stormed up to me. "Who are you?" he demanded. "How did you come to know about my son? Who are you working for?"

I backed away, slightly alarmed by his intensity. "Nobody!" I answered, shaking my head.

Clark came to my rescue. "Dad, it wasn't her fault! I saved her."

"What?" he cried, rounding on Clark. "And she saw you? Why didn't you just run away like you always do?"

Clark shuffled his foot and looked from me to his dad. "I don't really know," he admitted awkwardly.

Jonathan turned to me again. "That doesn't make this okay! Who are you young lady?"

"My name is Lois Lane, I'm the daughter of General Samuel Lane, I ran away from home with no intention of going back, I'm a loner, I love sci-fi and romance, and I'm going to work for the Daily Planet after I graduate high school," I said in a rush, startled by his ferocity.

"The daughter of a general who wants to be a journalist?! This is the worst possible person you could have revealed yourself to, Clark!" Jonathan thundered.

I could understand his protectiveness but this was getting ridiculous. Now that the initial shock had worn off, I was ready to put on the boxing gloves. I put my foot down, releasing Mad Dog Lane in full force.

"Look, I don't mean to be the middle man in this or anything but I feel I need to get something out in the open." Jonathan and Clark both looked at me, surprised by the intensity coming from such a small young woman. "I may be a general's daughter but that doesn't mean I sell him any secrets," I continued undeterred. "He made my life completely miserable, nearly destroying our fragile little family for the sake of his career! And when it comes to being a journalist, I'm not going to be one of those sleazy tabloid losers who report things merely for profit. I'm going to print the news that will help inspire people! And finally, Clark is my _best friend!_ I'd never sell him to anyone! He saved my life! And I'm sure he's saved countless others! Why would I want to spill a secret that people won't understand? Not everyone is like me and they won't appreciate Clark and what he can mean to the world. He's special, Mr. Kent, and with knowing this secret I'm going to help him in any way I can! I'd die before I told anyone about him! So stop having a heart attack and relax already, geez!"

Both Clark and Jonathan were still staring, Clark with admiration and gratitude, Jonathan with utter astonishment. I inhaled deeply, trying to catch my breath. Sick of being cold, I stalked over to the couch, picked up the blanket, and remade my cocoon.

Jonathan finally found his voice and cleared his throat. "Um, look… Lois, I'm sorry."

"That's okay," I said gruffly.

Jonathan rubbed the back of his head. "The thing is, the few times someone has showed up knowing about Clark, they've turned out to be enemies. Unfortunately for them, they all died in some way before they were ever able to spread his secret around. You're the first normal person we've ever met who doesn't want to exploit him for their own profit."

I smiled, thinking about Jason and how my parental instincts would be to lash out and kill anyone who tried to harm him in a similar situation. "Mr. Kent, I understand your protectiveness, truly I do. But I need you to trust me. Clark's secret is safe with me."

"Dad, she won't tell anyone," Clark said. "Her heart isn't racing like someone's would if they told a lie."

Jonathan finally relaxed after hearing that. "Alright…but even if I'm okay with it, we still have an even bigger hurdle to cross."

Clark's face fell. "Mom."

Jonathan nodded.

That made me nervous. I knew how protective I was of Jason and it was common knowledge a mother's love ran deeper than anything else. In the future, Clark had already been in love with me so, by the time we met, Martha was ecstatic. This Martha was going to be different. I had a bad feeling about this…

"We'll tell her together," Jonathan decided. "It'll go smoother that way."

Clark nodded. I swallowed painfully.

Instead of procrastinating the inevitable, we marched down from the Fortress of Solitude into the Kent's house. Martha was busy in the kitchen, cooking dinner for the evening. The smells of roast and baked potatoes saturated the air, making my mouth water.

"It's about time you two came inside," Martha said as she heard the door shut. "Supper's almost ready."

Instead of gray, Martha's hair was auburn. Though I couldn't see her face, I was sure it had a lot less wrinkles than I had ever seen her with.

"Martha, sweetheart, we need to talk," Jonathan said.

From the tone in his voice, Martha spun around immediately. Yep, she was a lot younger than the Martha I knew but her countenance was just as kind. She took in Jonathan's guarded expression, Clark's guilty one, and then noticed me. "Who's this?"

"Mom, this is Lois," Clark said. "She's a friend."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Kent," I said. "I moved to Smallville about a month ago."

"How nice," Martha said though she was still waiting expectantly for an explanation to her husband's declaration.

"Martha, Lois knows about Clark," Jonathan said, getting right to the point.

"_WHAT?!"_ Martha's glare nearly burned a hole in my skin as she rounded on me. I took a step back, making sure if need be I could book it to the door to avoid the line of fire.

"Mom, before you freak out she's not a bad guy!" Clark assured, rushing forward. "I saved her life today and she saw me. And before you ask me the same thing Dad did about not running away like I usually do, _I don't know why_. But Mom, Lois is my _best friend_ and I _trust _her."

My heart skipped a beat. Did he just call me his best friend? I'd called him my best friend because that was the honest truth but I didn't think I'd earn the title of best friend from Clark for at least another month. My insides bubbled with happiness as his words sunk in. _He considered me to be his best friend! _

Martha didn't seem pacified. "I'll be the judge of whether or not she can be trusted! Lois, follow me, please. And don't you dare listen in Clark Kent!"

And without a word, she went into the guest room on the ground floor. I followed her without a second thought. I knew Martha well enough to know when she was like this – until she overcame whatever was bothering her – she was a storm that wouldn't die down for anything. I shut the door softly behind me. Martha silently invited me to sit on the bed while she sat in the chair opposite.

"Did you see what Clark did to save your life?" she asked after I was seated.

"Yes."

"And did you force him to explain?"

"No. I let him know that if he wanted to tell me, it was his secret to share. Mrs. Kent, I'm not the type of person who demands to know why someone is different. Clark saved my life. The only thing I wanted to do was let him know how grateful I was."

Martha's brow furrowed. "So he told you?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Of his own free will and choice?"

"Yes."

Martha sat back in her chair, studying me. "Clark has three friends that he's known since grade school whom he has never told. He knows you for only a month and he tells you? Why?"

I shrugged. "Maybe it was because I told him how I really felt about his secret."

"And what was that?"

"That I don't care if he came from some planet on the far reaches of ten galaxies from here. As far as I'm concerned, he's just as human as we are. In fact, he's better than eighty percent of the Earth's population. And you can bet your bottom dollar that I let him know that too."

Martha couldn't hide her admiration over my response. "You're not afraid of him?"

"Why should I be? Clark's not a bad guy. He's a genuine hero that's going to be a great example to the world someday. I admire and respect him."

Martha studied me for a moment more. "I think it's much more than admiration and respect."

I would have given all the money I possessed not to blush but blush I did from my neck all the way to my hairline. Thankful that Clark was so obedient to his mother and wasn't listening in to this conversation, I looked away from Martha, unwilling to voice my true feelings. Not that I needed to! My body language was testament enough!

"How long?" Martha asked.

"Ever since I laid eyes on him," I mumbled, staring at the wall.

Martha suddenly reached out a hand and took mine. I swiveled around to face her and found nothing but kindness in her expression. "Honey, if Clark was smart, he'd ditch Lana and chase after you."

My eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Martha leaned back, looking at me with complete approval. "He doesn't even see it but I do. There's something special about you, Lois. I can feel it. Call it mother's intuition but I've got a good feeling about you. As much as I love Lana, she isn't meant to be with my son in that kind of relationship. They were good friends before and even though Clark has always been infatuated with her, I never felt it was going to work between them. But you? No, you're different. Clark telling you his secret only after a month of knowing you is enough for me to know that he unconsciously has already chosen you over Lana."

I immediately scoffed even though her words meant so much. "He doesn't even look my way, Mrs. Kent! How can he possibly be over Lana when it's clear that he drools over her every time she makes an entrance?"

Martha smiled wisely. "Lois, everything will work out in good time. You just keep being a friend to Clark and eventually he'll figure it out. He's a smart boy."

"Sometimes I wonder about that," I muttered, causing both of us to laugh.

"Give it time, dear. Besides, you've got me on your side now. I'll do everything I can to help you catch him."

My eyebrows rose almost into my hair. Martha Kent helping me destroy what both of us knew to be a doomed relationship? My chances of splitting up Lana and Clark just changed from slim to incredibly hopeful. I clasped her hands. "Thank you."

"You have no idea what it means to me to have someone who actually isn't trying to use Clark for their own personal gain," Martha muttered. "I'm glad you know, Lois."

"I'm glad he told me."

"Well, now that that's over, why don't you stay for dinner?"

I suddenly remembered Chloe. "Oh my gosh!" I cried, smacking my forehead.

"What is it dear?"

"I totally forgot! I live with Chloe and she was expecting me to turn up back home before seven!"

Martha looked at her watch. "Hmmm, that gives you about a minute. How about you call her?"

"Do you think she'll be okay with that?" I asked.

"Of course! Chloe isn't like Lana who blows up over everything."

I grinned. Martha and I emerged from the bedroom to find both Jonathan and Clark hovering nearby. They immediately relaxed once they saw how chummy we were and from his reaction both Martha and I knew Clark hadn't listened in. Martha still felt the need to ask him though, more out of mother jurisdiction than trust. "Clark, were you listening?"

He shook his head emphatically. "No, mom."

Satisfied, Martha nodded. "Good. Lois is joining us for dinner. Clark, set the table please. Come on, Lois, I'll show you where the phone is."

Chloe picked up on the second ring. "Lois?"

"Hey, sorry for not coming home before seven."

"Where are you?!"

"I ended up walking home with Clark. We had a lot to talk about with that assignment and I ended up meeting the Kents. They've invited me to stay for dinner and I think they'll take me home later." Martha nodded to show that was fine. I smiled.

"Oh, okay. Wow, you get to stay for dinner? Lucky! Mrs. Kent makes the best food!"

"I'll tell you all about it tonight," I promised.

"You're terrible!" Chloe laughed.

"See you Chloe."

"Bye."

I hung up and turned to Martha. "Are you sure it's no trouble taking me home later? I can walk if I need to."

Martha shook her head. "It's no trouble at all, Lois. Clark can take you home in the pick up."

Clark perked up. "I can drive the new truck?"

Jonathan opened his mouth to protest but Martha beat him to it. "I don't see why not! I'm sure Lois would appreciate the ride."

I nodded when she stared at me pointedly. Jonathan sighed. "Alright, but not a scratch, Clark!"

Clark looked positively thrilled. "You got it!"

Martha and I shared a look. It was the first of many to follow. She'd set up another perfect moment for me to be alone with Clark. The woman was a genius! She even made sure that I was sitting across the table from him so he'd have to look at me throughout all of dinner. Oh yes, Martha was devious. Most of the conversation was about me since the Kents wanted to know everything they could about the girl who shared the family secret. I told them every safe thing I'd told Clark and the others. By the time we got to dessert – Martha's famous apple pie – the Kents knew about my family, my life as a military brat, and my opinions on sports and what the best ice cream was (chocolate chip cookie dough of course).

"That's Clark's favorite kind too," Martha said, while Jonathan cleared the table.

"I know," I said without thinking. We often shared ice cream together since we both liked the same thing; unfortunately Clark found my secret stash in the freezer and I often found several scoops missing when I went to get a spoonful in the middle of the night.

"How do you know that?" Clark asked. "I don't remember ever telling you."

I froze only for half a second. "I saw you eating it the other day at school," I said, silently thanking my lucky stars that the cafeteria had served that particular ice cream on Monday.

"Oh yeah," Clark said, remembering too.

I mentally sighed in relief. Another save! If I wasn't careful, I was going to run out of the few lucky stars I had left!

"My look at the time!" Martha said, observing the kitchen clock. "Sorry we kept you so late on a school night, Lois!"

"It's fine Mrs. Kent," I said kindly. "I don't mind at all."

Jonathan went into the kitchen and emerged a second later with a set of keys. Handing them to Clark, he warned, "Not a scratch!"

Clark tried to keep his smile contained. "I know, Dad. Come on Lois."

"It was very nice to meet you," I said, standing up.

Jonathan and Martha smiled. "You're welcome here any time," Jonathan said while Martha nodded vigorously.

"Thank you."

Once we were outside, Clark sighed, staring up at the night sky. I joined him, amazed at how many stars were visible. "I've been here for a month and I'm still not used to this," I muttered. "We never get stars like this in the city. Do you ever wish you could just fly up there and touch them?"

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye and was pleased to see the longing on his face. "Yeah," he muttered. "Funny enough, there was this one time I dreamt about flying around town."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Clark laughed, "I woke up hovering over my bed! It completely freaked me out and I fell, breaking the bed frame. Dad wasn't too thrilled about having to build a new one."

"Have you ever been able to do that again?"

"What? Float? Nope. I've tried, believe me, several times, but the only thing I can do is jump for really long distances."

"Do you think you might fly some day?" I asked timidly.

Clark sighed disdainfully. "I don't think so Lois. I may be able to do all these great things but flying? No, I think that's too much to hope for. I don't dare even complain about not having that ability because I've been blessed with so much already. My parents taught me to always be grateful for what you have and never ask for more. If more comes to you, then consider yourself further blessed and add that to the gratitude you already have."

I contemplated this. "That's really good advice."

"I always thought so."

We hopped in the truck and Clark pulled onto the main road that led back into town. My private time with him was drawing to a close and I was desperately trying not to get depressed. I decided to get as much out of this drive home as I could.

"You're parents are amazing people. I can see why you love them so much."

"Yeah," Clark said, his voice filled with respect. "They're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Sometimes I think about what would have happened if I had been found by someone else. What if they turned me over to the government?" Clark shuddered. "That's my worst nightmare, Lois; being dissected… treated like an animal instead of a person. It scares me even now." He became quiet for a few seconds before muttering, "That's why I've been terrified of telling anyone. I'm afraid they'll call in the government and haul me away… that my parents will be thrown in prison for keeping a global threat under their roof… that weird scientists will study me in a lab somewhere..."

I reached out and touched his arm. "You're not a global threat, Clark. You're the hope this world needs. And besides, if anyone tried to take you away, I'd gouge out their eyes and leave them in such a state that the hospital wouldn't be able to even identify who they were."

Clark shook his head, smiling in spite of himself. "You really are something, you know that?"

My heart skipped a beat as blush crossed my face. Good thing Clark was driving. I'm sure my reaction would have made him uncomfortable. "Hey, I've got to watch your back! Even heroes need to be saved once in a while."

Clark smiled but then frowned. "Um, Lois?"

"Yeah?"

"About that, I kind of forgot to mention something important."

I gave him my full attention. We were a block away from Chloe's house. Clark pulled over and put the car in park. Looking at me in all seriousness, he said, "I'll try to keep this brief since I've already kept you from doing your homework for so long."

"No, its fine," I said. "Please, go ahead."

"Okay, so when I came here as a baby, the gravitational pull from my ship brought a meteor shower with me. The meteor rocks make me sick. But I don't get sick like a regular person does. The second I'm exposed to the stuff, I get weak, nauseated, and my powers go away. The meteors are all over Smallville but I can't feel them until I'm near them. The longer I'm exposed to them, the weaker I become. Lois, I think that if I can't get away from the stuff it could kill me."

He looked really alarmed by the thought and I knew exactly why. I'd nearly lost him more than once to the stupid radioactive rock from his home world. I patted Clark's forearm. "Don't worry, Clark, I'll make sure to chuck the stuff away from you if we ever come across it."

Clark smiled gratefully. "That would be a huge help, you have no idea."

_Oh, I think I do._ "Yeah, it's no problem."

"Also, I recently discovered that there is a way to block the radiation from me."

"Really? How?"

"For some reason, lead stops it," Clark revealed. "It's also the only element that I can't see through."

"That's interesting. I wonder why."

Clark shrugged. "I have no clue but I'm glad it works against kryptonite."

"That's the meteor rock, right?"

Clark nodded. "Lois? There's one more thing you need to know about the stuff."

"What?"

"Don't let it get under your skin. Kryptonite does weird things to humans. It gives them powers but they're unstable because the alien radiation isn't meant to work with their bodies. Unfortunately, many people exposed to it have ended up dying. I'd hate for that to happen to you."

I looked at his guilt-ridden expression with sympathy. "Clark, what happened to them wasn't your fault."

"How is it not? The meteor rock only ended up here because of me!"

"Clark, stop it!" I said forcefully. "There's no point in guilt tripping yourself over this kind of thing! Surely not everyone exposed to kryptonite radiation has ended up dead?"

Clark paused. "Not everyone… but most do!"

I rolled my eyes. "That's probably because they're already mentally unstable in some way. I'm getting a vibe here that you've had to put a stop to several of them before they could level the town. Am I right?"

Clark wouldn't meet my eyes but he nodded anyway. "Yeah."

"See! The only people who have died are those who threaten the lives of others."

"That doesn't mean they deserve to die, Lois," he said flatly.

"I didn't say that," I countered. "I'm just seeing a pattern that fate is doing everyone a favor in making sure the psychopaths don't end up destroying the world."

Clark let out a frustrated sigh. "I still feel like it's my fault."

"Well then you're an idiot."

"Lois!"

"Look, do you have the power to keep someone dead or alive?"

"If I can save them–"

I cut him off. "No, Clark, you don't. Sure, you can save someone before a tree falls on them but if they were meant to die, then they would have died some other way like from shock or a heart attack for instance." Clark frowned as I used my rescue from earlier as an example but I needed him to understand this principle. "We both know that eventually everyone has to die and if it's that person's time to go, there's nothing we can do to prevent it from happening. We just have to accept what is and move on. My mother died when I was little even though my dad took her to the best hospitals in the world and they gave her every treatment they could think of.

"At first, those treatments were working but just when it seemed like she was getting better, she took a turn for the worst and the next thing I knew she was gone. And you know what? I wanted to bring her back! I couldn't understand why she couldn't be saved. But since then I've come to know that everyone has to move on to the next step and death is a necessary path that all must take. I'm not saying that you should stop trying to save people because honestly, Clark, people need to be saved every day. But I do think you need to know that if there ever is a time that you _can't_ save someone and _there's nothing you can do to bring them back,_ you need to accept what the high powers have decreed and not allow yourself to feel guilty for not keeping them alive. Just do what you have the power to do and have the courage to accept whatever ends up occurring."

Clark remained silent for a long time, looking out the windshield down the dimly lit street. After what felt like an eternity, he turned to look at me. "You're wise beyond your years, Lois," he complimented sincerely. "I really needed to hear that."

I smiled. "Make sure to write it down so you won't forget it, Smallville."

Clark grinned as he started the car and began crawling down the street. "Yes, ma'am. Now, let's get you home. Chloe's been complaining for the last twenty minutes about what it is we might be talking about."

I smirked. "Oh, yeah? And what does she think we've been talking about?"

Clark sighed. "She thinks I've been talking to you about Lana."

"Well we can't have her think that," I muttered. The last thing I wanted was to hear Clark talk about how much he adored that woman. "I'll be sure to tell her we were working on that assignment Mrs. Tundle gave us that's due next Friday."

Clark groaned. "I forgot all about that! I hate having to do a writing assignment with a partner. No offense," he added hastily.

It took everything I had not to laugh since I was the one who hated having a partner until Clark slipped into my life. "Maybe that's because you've always been paired with the wrong person."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Well, we'll find out if we're compatible, won't we?"

I grinned. "Yup! Now, take me home, hero."

Clark pulled into Chloe's driveway. I hopped out. "Lois?"

"Yeah, Clark?"

"I meant what I said earlier," he said sincerely. "You really are my best friend."

My heart skipped a beat. "You're mine too, Clark. Good night."

"Good night," he said.

I smiled at him warmly before making my way to the house, feeling as if I were floating. _Forever yours and yours alone,_ I thought silently to myself as I watched him drive away. _I love you, Clark. You really are my best friend. I love you so much._ My heart ached but I remembered the need to be grateful. I was the first person he'd confided in and for that I earned the title of being _his_ best friend. And for now, that would have to be enough.

**Well? What did you guys think? Reviews are always appreciated! Sorry it's been a while. I promise that if I get more reviews I'll update sooner! :)**


	6. Suspicions and Warnings

**Hey everybody! Sorry it's been a while. I wanted to see if anyone would review and sadly, nobody did. Well, because I love this story, I'm posting the next chapter anyway. I've decided I love Superman too much to base whether a story is updated or not based off of reviews but I welcome them anyway! Feel free to leave me one! I'd appreciate it!**

06: Suspicions and Warnings

_**Clark, Metropolis**_

I stood in the corner of the Night Flight club, my eyes roving over the scene in inward disgust. We had been working in the stripper club for a week. To my dismay, Lois had become a rather sought after shooter girl. She walked around in strapping stilettos, swaying her hips and showing off way too much of her fantastic legs. It took everything I had not to use my heat vision on the jerks who stared hungrily after her. She also wasn't helping with the low cut blouses. I knew that was one of the requirements of the job but it was driving me crazy having to watch men moon after my wife – well, future wife.

I folded my arms and frowned deeply when I saw a man reach out to touch one of the other shooter girls. I glanced to my left. Another bouncer, Daniel, caught my eye; he'd noticed too. He inclined his head, silently communicating for me to handle this one. Nodding, I moved away from the wall and headed to the man's table. He'd latched onto the girl's wrist and was trying to sweet talk her. Her eyes searched for help until they saw me coming. She relaxed.

"Sir, please let go of me."

"Awww, come on, sweetheart," he slurred.

I grabbed his wrist. "Excuse me sir, I don't know if you were told but there is a strict no touch policy concerning our shooter girls. If you want to pay a little extra, one of our dancers would be happy to help you."

"I don't want one of them!" the man complained, clearly drunk. "She's the one I want."

I shook my head. "Sorry, not going to happen."

The man made a grab for the girl. I got between them, blocking her completely from his view. The man tried to push me out of his way. Rolling my eyes, I picked him up by the gruff of his neck. Spinning him around, I yanked an arm behind his back. Nodding to Judy – the shooter girl – I forced the man forward to the exit. Daniel smirked in approval as I roughly pushed the drunkard out of the club. By now he was making quite the scene, yelling nonsensical gibberish and waving his arms animatedly. We got outside and I walked him down the street a little before whistling for a cab.

"Take him wherever he lives," I said, tossing a twenty at the driver and helping the man into the back seat.

I walked back to the club in a hurry, not at all pleased I'd left Lois without my supervision. I found her leaning against the bar, waiting for the bartender to refill her tray of shot glasses. I sighed as I walked back over and leaned against the wall, my eyes roaming the room once more.

When the clock hit nine exactly, a group of men entered the club and headed up the stairs to the EMPLOYEES ONLY door, disappearing behind it. I watched as they descended the stairs and settled in the chairs around the rectangular table. I strained my hearing in their direction and immediately picked up conversation.

"Alright, what's the good news you have to share today?" someone said, stepping out of the shadows.

He was dressed in a pinstripe gray suit and red paisley tie. His slightly graying hair was short but messy, hiding under a fedora, and his face reminded me of worn leather. A large cigar hung from the corner of his thin lips and his gray eyes bore out of the shadow from his fedora at the men around the table.

"The shipments are going well, boss," one said. "Our boys in Gotham received the first couple deliveries with no problems."

"Good," the Boss nodded. "And the buyers don't suspect a thing?"

Several shook their heads while laughing. The Boss seemed satisfied. "Unfortunately we're going to have to change our warehouse location."

"What? Why?"

"A rumor's reached my ears that some cops might be onto us. I can't afford any complications."

"When do you want the stuff moved?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight? But Boss, that's a lot of work! We're going to have a heck of a time finding a sufficient amount of guys to help us out."

The Boss pulled out a gun and shot the one who spoke. My eyes widened. The room was obviously soundproof since no one in the club heard the gunfire. I hadn't been expecting that or else I would have saved the poor man who was now slumped in his chair, dead, his blood leaking from his forehead onto the table. The Boss put his gun back in his pocket and continued as if the complaint hadn't reached his ears.

"The new spot is on the other side of town, an old toy factory that shut down last year. I've made sure to buy the lease as a backup should something like this happen. Call me when you have the job done."

"You got it, Boss." The remaining five men stood.

"Clean that up before you go and make sure to order a new table," the Boss said over his shoulder as he disappeared into the shadows.

I blinked and the room beyond the wall disappeared. If I didn't have two more hours of being on the clock I would have run off to that toy factory and found out exactly what it was they were packaging. Time seemed to be mocking me; it felt like forever before we were done for the evening. Lois drove me even more stir crazy because she was making small talk with the bartender, Emit.

"I didn't know you were into history so much Emit," she said.

Emit shrugged as he pulled a jacket over his long slender arms. He wasn't as tall as me nor as muscular but the guy carried himself well which made up the difference in his gangly appearance. His green eyes were a color I'd never seen before and his shoulder length black hair was slicked back away from his forehead. His black jacket made his pale skin shine like a beacon through the dark and his fingers reminded me of a spider's legs, long and thin.

"It's nice to know someone who appreciates the past like I do," he said, sending Lois an alluring smile.

I frowned.

Lois smiled and saw me waiting for her at the door. "I'll see you later!" she said, waving goodbye.

Emit followed us outside and watched us head off down the sidewalk until we were around the corner. "Why do you put up with that guy?" I complained after we crossed the street.

Lois smirked. "Why, Kal! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."

I scoffed and abruptly changed the subject. "Look, those guys met up with the Boss again tonight."

Forgetting Emit completely, Lois excitedly demanded, "And? What did they talk about?"

"Another shipment to Gotham," I said.

"Everything seems to go there," Lois muttered.

"But the Boss believes the police are on to them so they're moving the location to an abandoned toy factory on the other side of town tonight."

"Well what are you waiting for?! Let's go!" Lois said, tugging on my sleeve.

I looked back and forth before gathering her into my arms and taking off in a rush of wind. Lois latched onto me tightly, her head tucked under my chin. Dodging cars, people, and buildings, I came to a stop ten seconds later on the opposite side of town behind the building right next door to the toy factory the Boss had talked about.

Lois peeked around the corner we were hiding behind and frowned. "Are you sure there's a move going on tonight?"

"That's what the Boss said," I muttered, looking around the building with her.

"Then they've already come and gone because this place looks like a ghost town," she whispered back, stepping cautiously out of the shadow of the building.

I joined her, confused. She was right; the place was dead to the world. Even with my x-ray vision, the only living things I could see were rats scuttling through the garbage littered in the alleys. The toy factory was empty. "I don't get it…the Boss said this was going to be the new location."

"Maybe they haven't moved it yet?" Lois suggested. "Did they mention where the first location was by chance?"

I sighed, "No."

Shortly after had we found out about the secret shipments the unknown character, "the Boss", was having smuggled from Metropolis to Gotham, we'd been trying to figure out the location of their secret stash. Unfortunately I was never able to pick up where the original place was.

"What do you think?" Lois asked. "Should we stick around and see if they show?"

I glanced at my watch. The plan to move everything had been made two hours ago. It was past eleven now. "I guess we can wait for a while."

"How long?"

"Midnight?"

Lois nodded, "That works. Hey, can I borrow your jacket though? I'm freezing out here!"

I smiled before shrugging out of my trench coat. Lois bundled up but continued to shiver. "Come here," I invited, pulling her close.

She sighed into my shoulder the moment my arms were around her. "I'll never get used to how quickly you warm me up, Kal."

"We should probably move to a more discrete location," I muttered. "Hang on." Picking her up again, I leapt into the air, shooting up the side of the empty office building we'd first stood behind until I reached the roof. It was a good fifty feet up, giving us a clear aerial view of the toy factory next door.

Lois peered over the edge. "Nice choice."

"Thanks," I said, setting her down but keeping my arms around her. "And now we wait."

"I hate this part," Lois muttered.

I smiled. To pass the time we once again went over all the information we'd gathered from the club.

"So to recap," Lois said, leaning against me, "We know there are six guys–"

"Five," I corrected. "The Boss killed one of them tonight."

Lois blinked. "Well, that's horrible!"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I wasn't expecting it at all or else I would have stopped it."

"Kal, you couldn't have done that! If they knew the Blur was on to them, they'd stop meeting at the club!"

"I know," I muttered. "I just can't believe the Boss would kill one of his own men just because they were concerned about how to accomplish the job he wanted them to do tonight."

"Bad guys don't have morals like you and I do, Kal." Lois paused before moving on," Alright, so we know there are five guys that work for someone called the Boss. You still haven't found him through all those known criminal records in the Planet's archives?"

I shook my head. "He's not there. It's gotten to the point where I think we need to go to the police department records."

Lois didn't like that suggestion at all. "This is our case, Kal! If we get the police involved, they'll kick us to the curb."

I rolled my eyes. "That may be true but isn't this kind of thing what the police are around for?"

Lois frowned. "Kal, we need to crack this! We don't have enough information to give them anyway. If we had the location of where they hide the shipments or if we knew what they were even shipping I might consider us going to the police. For now I think we need to keep gathering information."

"Lois, I really think I need access to the records the police keep if you want me to find this Boss's actual identity. The man doesn't carry a shred of ID on him! I wonder if he even has a driver's license."

Lois sighed. "Maybe I can call in a few favors. Some of the guys at the Police Department owe me anyway."

"Anything would help."

"Right, back to what we know," Lois muttered, tapping her chin. "We know there have been at least two shipments both going to Gotham. We also know that several ignorant people have received whatever it is they're shipping. Ugh! If only we knew what it was they were getting!"

"We'll find out soon enough," I said.

Lois nodded. "I've been speaking to Emit and he confessed that dirty dealings have been going on at the club for quite some time but he doesn't really know who's involved; he doesn't want to stick his nose into their business."

"Is that why you've been getting all cozy with him?"

Lois caught my eye and smirked. Cuddling up close, she kissed my cheek. "Kal, I think I kind of like you when you're jealous."

"Not helping," I muttered.

She laughed, squeezing me tight. Despite myself, I smiled.

We waited on the roof until twenty past midnight. Lois sighed. "I guess they're not coming. Maybe something happened? A change in plans?"

"Maybe," I muttered, scanning the area, desperate to find anything remotely out of place.

"Come on, Kal," Lois muttered, yawning widely. "Perry's going to want us to catch him up to speed tomorrow morning and I don't know about you but I need all the sleep I can get tonight."

Sighing, I stopped my futile search. "Alright, come here."

I scooped her into my arms and leapt off the building, running full speed back to her apartment. Emerging from the alley, we walked normally to her complex entrance and trudged up to the fifth floor to her door. Lois cuddled into my chest, not really wanting to let go. I held onto her.

"Be careful tonight as you make your rounds," she muttered into my shoulder. "If anything happens, I want an interview."

I chuckled, kissing her hair before replying, "Isn't that always how it works?"

"Yes and it better stay that way."

I smiled before kissing her cheek. "It always will. Good night, Lois."

She kissed my cheek in return. "Good night, Kal. I'll give you your coat back tomorrow."

"Sounds fine. See you tomorrow morning."

"Bring me coffee?"

"I always do."

She laughed lightly. "Good night."

"Good night."

She slipped inside and I turned to go, musing over maybe heading back to the toy factory. The thought barely popped in my head when sirens went off, police chasing a runaway car from a jewelry heist. "Just another typical night in Metropolis," I muttered, rushing off. The toy factory would have to wait.

_**Lois, Smallville**_

"Is there something going on between you and Clark?"

It took everything I had not to snap my reply. "No, Chloe. Clark and I are just friends. You've asked me this question three times every day for the last week and I always tell you the same thing. The only thing between me and Clark is friendship. Can you give it a rest already?"

"Sorry," Chloe said a little testily. "It's just…"

"What?" I snapped, unable to keep the bitterness from my tone this time.

Chloe gave a frustrated sigh. _"Nothing."_

I pursed my lips. Though I would deny it to anyone who asked me, there definitely _was_ something more between me and Clark…well, for _me_ there was. For Clark I wasn't sure. For the fourth time that day, I looked across the gym to where Clark and Pete were working with the other boys on setting up tables. The Homecoming Dance was this weekend and the seniors were in charge of getting things ready. While the boys did the grunt work, the girls sat making signs and decorations.

I watched as Clark asked for someone's help in moving a table to the other side of the gym. As he hefted his side, his eyes caught mine and he grinned while pretending to strain from the table's weight. I grinned back and then looked down at the sign I was painting. I wasn't artistic at all and the paint wasn't in the lines in the slightest; Jason definitely didn't get his ability to draw from my side of the family. I glanced at Chloe and Lana's signs which seemed picture perfect. Unfortunately, neither Lana nor Chloe were working on them. They were staring at me and it wasn't in a very friendly way either. I swallowed, feeling guilty. But why should I feel guilty? I hadn't done anything wrong!

"Wow, Lana, your sign looks great!" I said. The redhead sniffed in response before turning back to her work, painting the red letters of her sign with a little more force than necessary. I bit my lip and turned to Chloe. "What's with her?" I whispered.

Chloe shook her head in frustration but didn't comment. Great! The two of them were mad at me. Irritated, I gave up on finishing my sign and left the gym, hefting my bag over my shoulder. Pete was outside helping a couple members of the football team set up a bundle of wooden stakes that would be directing people to the gym's entrance.

"Hi, Pete," I called.

Pete looked up and immediately his face went from pleasant to annoyed. "Oh, hi, Lois."

"How are things going with the set up?" I hedged, trying to ignore his hostility.

"Fine; we just have a few more things to move around."

"Oh, that's good," I said awkwardly.

"I gotta get back inside," Pete muttered, walking passed without looking at me.

I stared after him feeling hurt.

"You too, huh?"

I twisted around. Clark was right behind me, his eyes filled with sorrow as he watched Pete disappear back inside. His strong arms were folded against his broad chest. It reminded me so much of Superman that my heart ached and a deep longing for being in those strong arms caused actual tears to come to my eyes. I couldn't take much more of this. I missed Clark. I missed having him sleep next to me. I missed caressing him. I missed him bringing me coffee in the morning. I missed breathing in his fresh scent. I missed his hands running down my sides. I missed his warm lips dancing across my lips and skin. Before I could stop them, the tears flowed.

Immediately Clark was by my side. "Lois, what's wrong?"

Giving in to another weakness, I buried myself in his chest, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry," I cried, "I'm not usually like this."

It was obvious from Clark's frozen form that he felt incredibly awkward but he was gentleman enough to at least let me cry on him. After a few seconds he even put his arms around me. Even though I wanted so much more, to finally be in his arms was just what I needed right now.

"Lois? Are you going to be okay?" Clark muttered.

I nodded.

He immediately dropped his arms from around me and the warmth that went with him almost started the water works again. Forcing the tears to stay away, I took a deep breath and wiped my face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Clark asked.

I shook my head.

"It's not about the others is it?"

"You noticed that, huh?" I muttered, trying to smile through the pain.

Clark put a comforting arm around me. "Come on. I think it's time we had another one of our private talks."

I smiled. We'd already had four of them since the day he'd told me his secret. Just like when I first met him, Clark loved to vent to me about the problems he was facing concerning his abilities. He had confided in me two days ago that he suspected someone in the school had been infected by kryptonite; two of the homecoming nominations for Homecoming Queen had ended up in the hospital after similar car accidents took place just outside the school's parking lot and from the evidence Clark felt they were kryptonite involved.

Once we reached the football field, I took a seat in the bleachers while Clark leaned against the railing, facing me. He sighed. "The way Chloe, Pete, and Lana have been treating you is my fault."

"There you go taking all the blame on yourself," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Lois, this time it really is my fault," Clark argued.

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, how?"

"You know the whispered conversations they've been having outside the gym before last period?"

"Yeah?"

"They're talking about _me._"

I frowned. "That's rude. What are they saying?"

Clark ran a hand through his ruffled hair. "It isn't hard to see that I'm hiding something, Lois. My strange disappearances, my ridiculous excuses…Chloe, Pete, and Lana have put up with them for years. It's gotten to the point that they know for a fact I'm keeping secrets. They're hurt that I haven't confided in them yet. And from the way you've been helping in excusing my behavior the past few days they suspect that I've talked to you."

Suddenly the dirty looks towards me the last week made sense. "They're mad that you've share your secret with someone you've only known for a little over a month."

Clark nodded. "Why do you think Lana and I have been fighting so much? She gets upset when I can't give her a good reason for bailing on dates and now she's jealous because I'm hanging out with you so much."

Even though it went against everything I felt, for Clark's sake I was willing to step back. "Look, Clark, the last thing I want to do is get between you and Lana. If I'm the one causing the drama, I'll back off."

"No! I don't want that!" Clark cried but then hastily added, "Lois, you're my best friend. Lana knows that."

I tried to ignore the hurt over just being his best friend as I sighed, "Clark, did you tell her that?"

"That you're my best friend? Of course I did!" he said incredulously.

I shook my head. "Clark," I groaned, "that's the worst thing you could have possibly told her!"

"But it's the truth."

"You don't tell a girlfriend that! Girlfriends are supposed to be their boyfriend's best friend."

"But Pete's my best friend."

"Pete's a man."

"Chloe is my best friend."

I groaned. "Clark, you're blind if you haven't noticed that sometimes Lana and Chloe merely tolerate each other."

Clark didn't respond. His silence spoke volumes. I smiled sadly. "Don't you dare begin to blame yourself for the way those two have been acting either!"

"But it's –"

"_Clark!_ No, it's not! It is not your fault that you're so freakin' attractive that women can't help fight over you!"

Clark blinked. I froze. Mortified, my heart picked up and even I could hear it beating. I wanted a hole to open up and eat me. If Clark found out how I felt…wait, would that be such a bad thing? I _wanted_ Clark to know how I felt! Yet I hesitated. If Clark ended up breaking up with Lana over me there was a chance we wouldn't start a relationship because he'd feel guilty. I couldn't afford to take that risk, could I? No. I knew Clark too well. Guilt would eat at him and the last thing I wanted was guilt to be in any part of our future relationship.

"Lois, are you saying Chloe likes me?"

"I'm not going to answer that because it's not my place, Clark. If you want to know that, ask her yourself."

Sensing that I wanted to end this conversation, Clark switched gears. "Okay…so…um…I was doing some digging on the last candidate for Homecoming Queen."

"Yeah? Did you find anything?"

Clark shook his head. "Ashley Hornbee is just your typical average cheerleader. I've been keeping tabs on her and I haven't seen anything abnormal. Her boyfriend, however, Jake Sullivan, he's been shady the past few days."

"Isn't he on the football team?"

"Linebacker," Clark said, nodding. "He's always been a good kid but lately I think he's been obsessed over making sure he ends his high school days with a bang."

"Let me guess, he wants to be Homecoming King?"

"He's pretty much got it in the bag," Clark opined. "The other two are guys that belong to the Chess and Math Clubs. Though I'd vote for the underdog, the talk of the school is definitely in Jake's favor."

"That's only because a certain star quarterback refused to make a go for the crown," I said.

Clark looked the other way, scowling. "You know why I avoid the spotlight, Lois."

"Well, that's up to what you deem to be the spotlight since last time I checked, star quarterback on the high school football team fits the bill."

"Lois," he muttered, exasperated.

"Just messing with you, Smallville," I smiled, leaning forward to catch his eye.

Grinning at my antics, he shook his head. "You're a dork."

"You're the dork, Smallville. So, what should we do about Jake?"

"We?"

"Yeah, we," I repeated. "Don't think that I'm not going to help you out. If kryptonite is involved, you're going to need backup."

Clark frowned, reluctant over the idea. "I don't even know if it's him," he hedged.

"Then why did you suggest him?"

"…I saw him at the scene of Kimberly's accident after the police had moved everything. He seemed to be looking for something but left shortly after. I know you're not surprised to know I was investigating the crime scene myself when he showed up. After he left, I looked around and found this." Clark pulled a locket out of his pocket. The inscription _'I love you'_ was written on the front of the golden heart.

I grimaced. "How tacky."

Clark smirked. "Oh come on; if someone you were dating gave you this wouldn't you keep it?"

I shook my head. "I'd take him to the jeweler's and trade it in for something more my style."

"And what's your style?" Clark asked, his smirk deepening.

I shrugged. "Personally I don't wear a lot of jewelry. But if I was going to let my man buy me anything, I wouldn't get an inscribed locket. That's too cliché to mean anything to me."

Clark shrugged. "To each his own."

"Whatever," I muttered, "anyway, do you think the locket belongs to Ashley?"

"I think Ashley gave it to him."

"And he walks around with it?" I asked, aghast.

Clark shook his head. "Lois, if your girlfriend goes out of her way to get you something, even if you hate it, you keep it. That's one rule a man doesn't break. You can't tell me you wouldn't give your boyfriend something like this?"

I shook my head, mortified. "Heavens, no! I'd give him a chain necklace if I gave him a necklace at all. Lockets are for girls. I'd be more comfortable giving my boyfriend something he actually likes. If lockets and jewelry were his thing, sure I'd give them to him. But I'm not the type of girl to give a present without personal feeling or meaning. If I really cared about someone, I'd make sure to show them by giving them things that they would appreciate and use. Not useless junk that can be cashed into a pawn shop."

Clark observed me for a moment before smiling. "Most girls don't express their opinions like you do, Lois. Your self confidence is pretty impressive."

I smiled despite myself. "Thanks, Smallville. So, about Jake…?"

"Always back to the point," Clark muttered, but he was smiling. "Look, let me keep an eye on him for now. When I see him up to something, I'll call in the special forces."

"Fine but don't try to go after him alone if he's doing something. Super speed me to wherever you are instead of going in blind. Deal?"

Clark didn't seem happy about my proposal but he nodded anyway. "Fine, deal."

I leaned back and looked up at the clouds lazily going by. Seeing that our private talk was coming to an end, I made a decision. I was really going to regret this but if I didn't make the suggestion, I'd be feeling much worse later. Reopening the can of worms that was our current status with our friends, I bit my lip and said, "Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be so bad to tell Chloe, Pete, and Lana?"

Clark began an automatic response, "Lois, it's too dangerous."

I shook my head. "I don't think you're seeing the big picture here. Pete, Lana, and Chloe are your best friends, right?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"Then you must not value their friendship very much," I retorted testily. "Think about it, Clark! If it keeps going like this, you're going to end up losing them! You can't keep secrets forever with people you care about without things turning bitter. Believe me, I know."

Clark opened his mouth, closed it, turned around, and leaned heavily against the bleacher's railing. "I hate it when you're right," he muttered.

I smirked and stood up, joining him. "No, you hate it when I have to tell you something you've already been debating silently over for years."

Clark looked at me, his eyes searching mine. I stared back silently, trying desperately to keep the longing from my face. Clark's gaze never left mine. "You know, Lois, there are times I feel like you know me better than I even know myself. How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Read me so well?"

I was treading into dangerous waters. Punching Clark's arm, I ripped my gaze away from his and looked out at the football field. "It's what best friends do, Smallville. Now, seriously, it's your decision since it's your secret but a friendly word of advice: you're not going to find very many people as genuine and loyal as those three. They're rare and hard to come by. I have a pretty secure feeling that they can be trusted."

Clark was silent for some time. "If you were me…and you had these powers…if you were, you know, from outer space…would you tell them?"

I looked at Clark and made sure I had his full attention before speaking right from my heart. "I would."

Clark looked away, sighing. "There you go again."

"What?" I asked, nudging him playfully.

He smiled. "Telling me exactly what I needed to hear."

"You asked."

"You answered."

"Yes I did."

Clark shook his head, staring up into the sky. "What if they freak out?"

"Clark, I can't guarantee they won't. However, I have a very good feeling they'll keep your secret."

"What if you're wrong?" he muttered, playing with his hands.

I laughed. "That's impossible! Lois Lane is never wrong."

Clark scoffed. "Uh-huh."

"Whatever, Smallville," I said, pushing him playfully.

We both stared at each other, grinning. "We'd better get back," Clark said. "They're wondering where we ran off to."

"You go first then. We don't want them seeing us coming back together." It was hard to keep the bitterness from my tone on that last part.

Clark either didn't notice or he decided not to pry. Agreeing with me, he started down the stairs. He didn't make it very far before turning around. "Lois?"

"Yeah, Clark?"

A genuine smile climbed his cheeks. "Thank you."

My heart constricted. Swallowing, trying to keep the emotion from my voice, I smiled back. "No problem." Clark disappeared around the corner. "That's what friends are for," I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.

I sat in the bleachers -trying to get my emotions in check- for several minutes. Oh, how I had wanted to be selfish! I loved being the only one to know! But I loved Clark too much to keep him to myself. He needed his friends and I knew that on his own he'd never have made that decision himself. He needed me to push him.

Shaking my head over how ridiculous this whole situation was, I stood up and left the bleachers walking away from the high school, being comforted only by the mere memories of how everything would eventually turn out. Lana would marry Pete, Chloe would find her true love was actually Richard all along, and I would be with Clark.

Lighthearted giggling reached my ears. I hadn't really been paying attention to where I was going in my silent musings. Somehow I'd ended up at one of the two parks in Smallville. A mother was chasing her five year old boy around the jungle gym. The boy had slightly curly black hair and a perfect set of dimples. A wall of emotions burst through me like a broken dam and the next moment I was full out sobbing. I'd been so worked up over getting used to things in the past that I had been able to ignore the memories of my sweet little boy. Thanks to this scene before me, everything about Jason hit me like a ton of bricks.

I sat down on the nearest bench and let me heart bleed through my tears. I missed my son. I missed waiting for him to come into the bullpen with Clark, waving his latest art project in my face. I missed him rushing around animatedly, sharing everything he'd done in science class with Clark. I missed watching the two of them sitting together at the kitchen table blowing bubbles in their chocolate milk amidst doing a puzzle before bedtime. I could almost hear Jason's little voice in my ear asking me to tell him the Superman story (aka how Clark and I met). I blubbered as the stupidest little things around me suddenly reminded me of something about Jason from a slide to a bird singing in the nearest tree.

As I sat there, I cursed Dr. Fate and the stupid Time Trapper. Because of them I was having to re-experience high school, sit on the sidelines while watching my future husband hang all over another woman, and live with nothing but memories of my son whom I missed just as much as my husband.

"I hate this!" I cried, frustrated. "I don't think I can last much longer here! I see that the Clark in this time period still needs my help but why does this whole situation have to be so difficult?! I wish I could just ruin Clark's relationship with Lana! I wish Clark would just open his eyes and see that he belongs with me! I want to go home where Clark loves me, where we have a family, and where the only things we have to worry about are keeping the secret and not dying while on the job."

Taking a deep breath, I looked around. Thankfully nobody had heard my open tirade; my crying must have scared that young mother and her son away. I probably looked a mess. Wanting nothing more than to soak in a long bath and relax, I headed back to Chloe's. Thankfully she wasn't home yet; I don't think I could deal with her annoyed looks right now. I was emotionally disturbed and needed a break from reality. I needed to bury myself in one of my fantasies, like I did all those years when Clark was gone. I'd made up illusions of grandeur involving Superman before. Surely I could imagine something with Clark!

Heating up the bath, I shut the door, undressed, and soaked in the warm water. The heat soothed my muscles, relaxing me in minutes. Sighing, I closed my eyes and drifted to a time that felt like another life where Clark was holding me in his embrace, a pool of water all around us with nothing but the walls of the Fortress of Solitude as our company. It was just after our wedding, where there were no distractions, no cries for help, and no thoughts of a certain previous girlfriend. Here, in this fantasy, Clark was forever mine and mine alone. I smiled, letting my imagination run. It was the perfect balm even if it was only in my memories.

_**Clark, Metropolis**_

Metropolis had kept the Blur busy all night so I wasn't able to get Lois her coffee until she'd already arrived at the Daily Planet. Placing the cup on her desk, she looked up at me with raised eyebrows. "Busy night?" she asked with a smile.

"You don't know that half of it. Three robberies, two attempted suicides, and a fire."

Lois whistled. "Wow, even for Metropolis that's a lot to go on in one night."

"And I was going to go back to scout the toy factory too," I muttered.

"It's almost like you were being kept preoccupied," Lois said offhand before taking a sip of her coffee.

We both froze.

"You don't think…?" she began.

I nodded. "I do! Lois, the Boss obviously knows about the Blur. What if he set up the robberies and the fire to keep me from stopping them moving around illegal shipments?"

"I wouldn't say it's too surprising. If I were moving around something that required a lot of shady figures, I'd want to keep the Blur occupied too."

"We need to find out who he is!"

"Already ahead of you," Lois reveal, passing me a sticky note.

"What's this?" I said, looking at it. All it said was: _noon, under St. Charleston Bridge_.

"That, my friend, is where we're going to meet my buddy from the Police Department," Lois revealed, grinning. "He's going to give us the down low on everything about the Boss. Apparently he's been keeping tabs on him for months. After some sweet talking, I convinced him to share everything he knows."

"Lois, you're amazing!"

"Lois! Kal! My office, NOW!" Perry's voice bellowed from across the room.

Just like old times, I thought to myself.

"Coming Chief!" Lois yelled.

"Don't call me Chief!"

Lois and I only smirked as we headed for the editor's office. The second I'd shut the door Perry jumped into interrogating us. "Alright you two, tell me what you've got! You've been working at that disgusting place for a week. You must have some kind of dirt by now."

"I think we do, Chief," I said. I explained about the underground room, the meetings, and the Boss's plans from last night.

"Excellent!" Perry complimented, clearly pleased. "But you still don't know who the Boss is or what he's dealing?"

Lois shook her head. "Not yet. We stayed at that toy factory until past midnight last night but there wasn't a shred of activity. We think it might have been a hoax."

"A false trail," Perry muttered, nodding. "Maybe the Boss thinks there's a traitor in his ranks?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. We're going to meet with a source at noon. Hopefully they have more answers to give us."

"Sounds like a good solid lead. Keep up the good work you two," Perry said, dismissing us.

Lois had to stop herself from skipping as we headed for the elevator. "That's the first time I've ever seen Perry so happy over a story! We make quite the partnership, Kal!"

I grinned. "You have no idea," I muttered under my breath. I was just about to follow Lois into the elevator when I froze. Downtown Metropolis was filled with screams and the sounds of gunfire. It wasn't a robbery…a car chase? But who was chasing whom? There weren't any sirens.

"Kal?"

"I have to go," I muttered.

She looked back and forth before shooing me off towards the stairs. Nodding, I booked it as quick as I dared towards the stairwell. Once the door was shut behind me, I became a blur as I ran down the steps. This mode of transportation was much more complicated in leaving the Daily Planet than flying; after getting down the stairs I had to exit the building calmly like everyone else, find an alley, disappear inconspicuously into it, and then rush back out as the Blur. Frustration built inside me as the screams escalated and sirens filled my ears, the emergency vehicles now rushing to the location. I put on a burst of speed, knocking an unsuspecting hotdog stand over in my haste. I made a mental note to repay the man for the loss of all his hotdogs as I rushed down the street, dodging cars and people. I arrived on the scene and skidded to a halt in an alley.

Using x-ray vision, I assessed the situation. There had clearly been a shoot out of some kind. The buildings to the west had been brutally attacked; bullet holes could be seen in the wooden posts of the various shops, glass littered the sidewalk, a car was dented against a fire hydrant – the water spewing forth towards the sky – and people lay in the streets, some recovering, others not.

I rushed forward to the nearest injured civilian, a young man who was emerging from behind a busted café table, his arms scratched from broken glass and the blood from a head wound trickling lightly down his face. "Are you alright?" I asked immediately, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah," he groaned.

"What happened here?"

The guy shook his head. "Two cars came screeching around the corner – obviously chasing each other – and they must have rolled their windows down to shoot. One of them smashed into that parked car" – he pointed to the car up against the fire hydrant – "and spun out of control, crashing into the arcade. The other car kept going round the corner and after backing up the one that smashed into the arcade followed it. I didn't see much else. Bullets were flying everywhere."

"You need to get to a hospital," I said, examining his head.

"There are others worse off than I am," he muttered.

I looked around and had to agree with him. Already there were several whose lives hung in the balance even now and the ambulance was still ten blocks away, fighting through traffic to get here. A young girl in the arms of her sobbing mother was the worst of the lot; a bullet had barely missed her heart. I came to a decision. Ruffling my hair, I ripped my jacket off, scooped up some dirt from the debris of a fallen building, mixed it with a small amount of water coming from the leaking fire hydrant, and smeared the concoction into my hair and all over my face. Examining my reflection quickly, I deduced with satisfaction that I appeared as if I had been caught in the cross fire, dirt paling my face in an ashen glow, white chalky dust mixed in with my black hair making it look slightly gray. It would have to do.

"I can save her," I said, rushing to the mother's side.

"Helen, Helen!" she sobbed, ignoring me.

I grabbed her shoulder. In the most commanding voice I could muster, I tried again. "Ma'am, your daughter is going to die in your arms if you don't let me take her to the hospital at once."

My voice finally got her attention and she looked my way, confused. "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend," I said. "Please, I'm here to help. Let me save her. Please!"

The mother looked at the young girl in her arms and then back to me, desperation being the only thing making her comply. She nodded frantically. "Save her, sir. Please!"

I took the girl from her arms and tucked my jacket protectively over her bleeding body. The next moment I was running around the corner in a blur. The second I was out of the mother's eye, I took to the sky. There wasn't time to dodge traffic and make it to the hospital. I flew as fast as I dared, my jacket whipping around my arms but shielding the girl from any wind. I landed in the shade of a tree on the hospital grounds and rushed into the emergency room, almost breaking down the doors in my haste.

"I need a doctor, NOW!"

The moment it became clear I had a bleeding child in my arms, the doctors descended. "What happened?" one asked as nurses brought a stretcher and an oxygen mask.

"She was caught in a violent scene involving guns from two different parties. She's been shot close to her heart and her left lung has been punctured."

"Are you family?"

I shook my head. "No. I arrived on the scene after the incident. There are many more people hurt but hers was the worst case. I'll bring as many as I can here. Have stretchers ready."

Before the confused doctor could understand what I meant, I ran out the doors in a blur, actually breaking the doors this time. People were exclaiming after I left, one of them being the doctor, "T-T-That was the Blur! He's _real?!"_

I didn't have time to think. I rushed back to the scene. Paramedics were trying to load the people with the worst injuries into their emergency vehicles but there were too many to make it in one trip. Deciding to not indulge them in conversation, I rushed over, picked up an unsuspecting old woman, and rushed off with her in my arms. She had already fainted which helped since my sudden run downtown would surely have caused her to have a panic attack. I reappeared in the hospital with her in my arms. The doctor I'd spoken with was still standing right where I left him. I set the old woman down on a stretcher and turned back to him. "I'm going to bring more injured people over here. I need stretchers and doctors waiting. Can you organize that?"

The doctor nodded to me mutely but a determination was forming in his eyes. Now was not the time to wonder over the Blur. He had a job to do. Thankful for the man's common sense, I turned on my heel and rushed back to the accident. I was able to get people transferred to the hospital in five minutes whereas the paramedics were still rushing three people through traffic. Deciding to help the people with minor injuries next, I fell into a pattern of rushing on scene, scooping surprised people into my arms, and running back to the hospital. I brought in thirty people – everyone that sustained some kind of injury – and the hospital had been gracious enough to take care of every single one of them. My last drop off was the mother of the little girl I'd first rescued. She was completely confused and sputtering about just like everyone else I'd brought in but the doctors explained that it was the Blur and the woman immediately turned her attention to her daughter's whereabouts. In super speed, I wrote a note and left it in the hands of the doctor I'd spoken with thanking him for his cooperation and signing it as _A Friend_, figuring he was smart enough to figure out it was from me.

Rushing away from the hospital, I entered the nearest alley and sighed. Rubbing my face, I was surprised to find the dusty residue had somehow managed to stay there the entire time. Hoping that it would have been enough to hide my identity, I removed the gunk from my face and hair, dusted myself off, and emerged from the alley, heading back to the crime scene. Police were everywhere and from their conversations, they were discussing the Blur.

"I felt the wind as he ran by!" the nearest to me said. "I saw him just before he picked up an injured person and carried them off!"

"What did he look like?"

"Well, if he hadn't run off so fast I would have taken him for just another person involved in the accident."

"Where did he take them?"

"I heard he was seen dropping them off at the hospital," said another.

"You mean to tell me one man was able to help thirty people get to the hospital in less than an hour?"

"He may have looked like a man," said the one who saw me, "but a man can't run like that."

"What happened here?" a young woman asked as she shut the door to her police car. Her blonde hair was barely visible under her cap and her fierce eyes penetrated the other officers to the core. Though she was years younger, I recognized her immediately. It was Maggie Sawyer. The officers told her about the Blur and the testimonies of eye witnesses who'd seen the crime happen as well as the rescues.

"You said you saw the Blur, Henry?"

The one who started the conversation nodded.

"What was he wearing?"

The officer shrugged. "I didn't get a really good look at him but I think he was wearing dark jeans and a button up shirt."

Slipping into another alley, I immediately took my dress shirt off, turning it to ash with my heat vision. It was a good thing I was wearing a white tank top underneath even though now my arms were fully exposed. Sighing over my uncomfortable predicament, I pretended to blend in with the rest of the people mingling around on the street. Observing the situation and feeling my special services were no longer needed, I left the growing crowd behind me.

Realizing that it was past twelve, I honed my hearing onto Lois's heartbeat and was surprised to find she wasn't anywhere near St. Charleston Bridge. She was at the police station. I rushed off as fast as I dared, reaching the station fifteen minutes later. I found Lois standing near the police station's entrance, her thumbnail in her mouth.

"Lois!"

She twisted around. "Kal!" she latched onto me. "It's horrible!"

"What happened? Why are you here?"

Her whole frame was trembling. "My source is dead!"

"_What?!"_ I gasped, holding her at arm's length.

She nodded shakily. "I went to meet him under the bridge just like we'd planned. I didn't see him at first so I started looking around. That's when I saw his legs sticking out from behind a set of crates. His blood was still wet and I found this…" she reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumbled up note.

Smoothing it out a little, I looked down at the hurried scrawl. The ominous message was written in red ink, the menacing words causing my stomach to churn.

'_Stop meddling in affairs or you'll end up like your friend.'_


End file.
